No Man's Land
by Pen to Paper Writer
Summary: Kate and Rick had been through the worst investigating this case. Frostbitten and barely alive, Kate had made a choice in that freezer. If she made it out alive, she'd work on them. She would drop her walls. But by the time the case was solved she had something else to worry about and it looked like they were never going to get their happy ending.
1. Chapter 1

Rick, Kate, Ryan, Esposito, and Captain Montgomery were all sitting in the conference room, drinking a well-deserved beer after Bradford and his partners had been arrested and the bomb neutralized.

"No, really, you should have seen his face. Because he stopped, he looked at me, he grabbed all the wires and he just yanked them."

Kate made a tugging motion, imitating the wires being pulled from the control panel of the dirty bomb, while Roy started to laugh at what Castle did.

Ryan looked over to Castle in wonder and said, "All of them?"

"I figured one of them had to be the right one," Rick admitted.

"You know, the mayor wants to give you guys a medal. I didn't have the heart to tell him that you had no clue what you were doing."

Espo looked directly at Castle, knowing how badly it could have gone.

"Captain's right," he said. You guys don't know how lucky you really are."

Rick lowered the beer bottle from his lips and looked over to Espo, and then to his partner.

"Actually, I do."

The soft knock on the door drew everyone's attention as Agent Fallon stepped in.

"Can I talk to you two for a second?" he asked, looking towards Rick and Kate.

The two partners looked at each other and decided to go with him to see what he wanted, with Castle leading the way. Fallon turned towards them as they came to a stop right outside the conference room.

"I just wanted you two to know that the U.S. Attorney's office is going to be charging Bradford with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit terror. Thanks to you two, we won't have to add the murder of innocent New Yorkers to that allegation."

"Well, we were just doing our job. Actually, I was doing my job I don't know what the hell he was doing." Kate grinned.

"Hey, but that's true." Castle shrugged.

"Listen," said Fallon, "what I do is not who I am. It's just how I have to be."

Rick looked at Fallon, who was trying to be more open with them and possibly succeeding.

"I hope you both understand that."

"Why don't we say it was it a pleasure?" said Kate. "And that we hope that we don't have to do it again."

"Fair enough." Fallon turned to leave when Rick spoke up.

"If- it does happen again, maybe you could just text me, have a code word… Run."

Rick watched as Fallon walked away. When he turned back to Kate he sighed loudly, then noticed the smile on her face.

"Hell of a day," he said.

"Hell of a day," she agreed.

"You know, I was thinking… I was thinking maybe…" Rick glanced past Kate's left side for a split second and saw Josh walking off the elevator. Josh was still far enough away not to hear him, so he decided to say something else to Kate instead of what he really wanted to say.

She noticed Castle's eyes move away from her for an instant, and then his expression changed. He stumbled in his speech, and she could tell that he was going to say something other than what he really wanted to say to her.

"Maybe I should go home, get some rest. Long day. Good night."

All she could do was look at him hoping he would really say what he was thinking. But he was already on the move towards the elevator.

"Good night?" When she said it, it sounded more like a question even to herself as she watched him walk away. She did notice that he used his playboy smile, the fake one he used with fans he met on the street when he wished her good night.

Then she felt hands covering her hips and at first, she was startled, until she turned into Josh's embrace with a gasp. With her head resting against her boyfriend's chest, she watched Rick's progression all the way to the elevator. When he got in and turned around, leaning against the back wall of the elevator car, she could see the angry and somehow sad look on his face, and she knew why.

Xx

Rick knew that staying in the precinct while they played kissy face would be humiliating for him. So he came up with the excuse that he was tired and hoped she bought it. But he didn't care either way. He _was_ tired, but if Josh hadn't shown up, well, maybe he would have found some energy to stay with her. Hell, they almost died this afternoon - who was he trying to kid? - he would have loved to stay with her. And then Dr. Motorcycle Boy had to come up here and practically dry hump her right there on the homicide floor. No, he had better things to do than to watch these two show their love and affection for each other in front of him.

So he entered the elevator and leaned against the back wall, watching every move they made until the doors slid closed. The look on his face was probably one of either shame, sadness, or anger, not that he really cared either way. But what he did know was that he needed a drink. By the time the elevator reached the lobby, the day shift patrol section was leaving and the night shift was taking over. He walked through the maze of patrolmen heading for the front door. He looked up at the 12th precinct entrance one last time, not knowing if he would return. Instead of taking a cab home he decided to walk to the nearest bar.

Xx

Kate turned in Josh's arms and looked directly at him. She never told him to come over to the 12th precinct to see her, and she wondered why he was here when he should have been on a plane, heading to Haiti for his Doctors Without Borders assignment.

"Josh, why are you here? You know that I'm working."

"Kate, less than twelve hours ago I was treating you for a severe case of hypothermia in the back of an ambulance after your partners found you-you and that tag-along writer. I just came by to see how _you_ were doing."

"You do know Rick was in the freezer container with me as well, right? We almost died that night."

"Kate, I am with _you_. I'm not concerned about Rick Castle, seeing as that I'm dating _you_ not him. And I know he's your partner and all, but he just left thirty seconds ago and to me, he looked just fine." Josh stated the obvious.

"Josh, he's been my partner for almost four years now. And while he might have looked _fine_ to you, something was off with him."

"I'm really not here to talk about Castle. He's the furthest thing from my mind," Josh said. "I just came by to see how you were and to ask you what your plans were for dinner tonight. Because if you don't have plans for dinner, I would like to take you out."

"I wish you would have called first," Kate told him. "Right now, I'm in the middle of finishing up the paperwork for the case we just closed, so dinner will have to wait."

"Well, tomorrow morning I'll be heading to Haiti. I wanted to spend some time with you before I left and I figured dinner would be nice. Can't you at least for once just have your junior detectives finish the paperwork for this case?"

"My junior detectives! Josh, you do know that Esposito has two more years on the job than I do? That makes him senior to me," Kate said, disgusted at his perception of her teammates.

"I didn't mean any harm by it, Kate. I just wanted us to go out and have a meal together before I left. Is that too much to ask?"

"Is that too much to ask? You've got to be kidding me, right?" Kate was angry now. "Two innocent men were murdered, Josh. A child was left fatherless. All because of one man's vision to make our country pay for men lost in the Gulf War. And a very large section of the city was almost…."

Kate could not finish that sentence; she couldn't let it be known that there had been a dirty bomb in Midtown Manhattan. For the most part, Josh looked like a petulant child not getting his way because of what she had to do in order to do her job. He never really did understand what she did. But Rick, on the other hand, understood and gave her the time to get the case buttoned up paperwork and all. And that's what gave Kate the idea to say what she needed to say to Josh next.

"Josh, I need to stay, to finish this paperwork, so why don't you head down to the pub on the next block, grab some dinner, and then I'll meet you back at your place in about three hours."

"Kate, I was serious about the two of us going out for dinner. This is the last meal we'll share before I leave for Haiti tomorrow."

Kate sighed. "I realize that, but what you need to understand is that I have a job to do now, and with the Federal angle for this case the paperwork is almost tripled. So give me the time to finish what I can and I will see you at your place in three hours." She made it excruciatingly clear that he was not meant to be here by the look she was giving him.

Josh raised his hands in an admission of defeat and told her that her plans were good enough for him. With that settled, he turned and headed back for the elevator, knowing it was useless to try to get her away from here.

She watched him as he stepped on the elevator and left the homicide floor. Knowing that Agent Fallon had left a half hour ago, she started on the NYPD forms first since there were fewer of them to complete.

Xx

Rick walked in a daze of sorts since he left the precinct. He knew that Kate was with Dr. Motorcycle Boy, but did he have to show up and ruin everything between them by flaunting what they had in front of him? They had risked their lives to save the city today! Josh would never know what he could have lost if that bomb had detonated. He could only hope that Josh was treating Kate with the respect she deserved.

He spied a pub to his right that looked like a place where he could whet his whistle and still be able to hold his own with the people inside. He looked at the entrance, which featured a door more elaborate than he'd ever seen, made from a hardwood that presented itself as very thick. He gave it a tug and it opened easily, so he entered and was immediately at home within the walls of this pub. To his right, he saw an older man who looked like one of the regulars. The man looked at him as if trying to figure him out.

"Howdy stranger," says the bartender.

"Hey," Rick returned as he climbed up on a barstool.

"What can I get you? And I might add that we don't serve those pansy drinks that have those stupid umbrellas in 'em.'

"Well, I am grateful for that. Scotch on the rocks, and not the swill that you serve the common people. Pour me a glass of that Macallan 25 year and then leave the bottle."

"Mac, this bottle is $1,850. I'm no way in hell going to be leaving you this bottle," the bartender replied.

Rick reached into his pocket and pulled out his spending cash. He threw down twenty $100 bills and told the bartender to keep the change.

Needless to say, the bartender left him the bottle.

Xx

Josh walked without any direction. Once Kate had told him to leave, he wanted to fight her decision but realized that it was neither the place nor the time to do it. He walked out the front door of the precinct and turned right. He'd taken the time to figure out a plan to get her to commit more to their relationship than she already had. Now all he had to do was think of a way to impress her that would knock her off her feet. Maybe he'd think about staying here for a little longer, or even cancel his upcoming trip to Haiti. He needed to think about what he wanted.

He walked for about a block until he saw a sign suspended over the sidewalk that announced a pub named Reilly's was coming up. It was an Irish pub and it looked like it was a decent place to have a drink. He could stop in, have a drink and give some more thought on how to become more interesting to his girlfriend.

Xx

Rick had already thrown back six shots of the very fine Scotch whiskey before he decided to slow down. The first four shots took the edge off. Now the bottle was down to about two-thirds left when he decided to slowly sip it rather than drinking it quickly. He looked around the bar and he could tell that Reilley's was a true Irish pub. This place was probably one of the best places to be on St. Paddy's Day. Directly behind the bartender was a wall-mounted mirror as long as the bar itself, with green shamrocks around the edges. It would be impossible not to notice anyone coming into the establishment if you were sitting at the bar. Which was why Rick's face dropped when he looked behind the bartender and noticed Joshua Davidson walking through the door of Reilly's with a very confused look on his face. Knowing that any interaction with the man would be disastrous for both of them, Rick slowly eased off the bar stool and moved over to a booth, hoping not to be seen by Josh. He didn't even make it halfway across the pub's wooden floor before he heard…

"Castle?"

 **A/N: This is a story that has been written over the last few months and it's just about complete, only the epilogue remains. This story has a story of its own. For a while, I was wanting to write a story where Kate was given a choice in her life. This is what I came up with. But that's not where this ends. This story has had many hands in it. It is a collaboration between three Castle Fan Fiction writers. I had the idea but not the plot. That's where Persplex13 came in. During his many trips to and from DC (and yes even when he lost his laptop temporarily) we figured how to move this forward.**

 **Perfgen has been a godsend. Without his cutting-edge ideas, none of this story would have been possible. His insight into a man's (or woman's) mind is boundless. He was able to get me moving in the right direction even after I whined about how I was going to finish this. If you read some passages you'** **ll see his style in this story because he wrote them. I would hate to meet him in a dark alley. I would be shaking in my boots if I did because he'd kick my ass.**

 **Her Pegship is an American goddess! There is nothing else I can say other that she is one of the hardest working Beta's on this site. She has added her distinct style to this as well. Her stories bring the reader anything you can imagine so why not check out her stories because they're excellent! She, Perfgen, and I present to you...**

 **"No Man's Land" Please enjoy!**

 **P2P**

 **A/N2: Updates will be on Sundays and Wednesdays. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

As Kate filled out the NYPD Incident Report Form #3205 on her computer, she realized that she'd need Castle to help with his part of filling out the report so she filled in what she could, saved the report, and minimized the window for tomorrow so he could add his part. She pulled out the DHS forms from her bottom drawer and sorted through the 5 different forms she needed to fill out. The government had so much paperwork to fill out, and it amazed her that they still had to fill these forms out by hand and not on a computer. But she started, leaving out what Fallon needed to fill out, due to him being in charge.

She replayed in her head the conversation that they had on the bullpen floor with Rick before Josh arrived, and it was bothering her. Rick was off and she knew why. Her current boyfriend had just shown up out of the blue and asked her what her dinner plans were for tonight. He never came to the precinct without calling first.

She'd wanted to tell Rick to stay so they could talk after she ditched Josh, but he was gone before she could even say a word. What she really couldn't believe was that Rick said, 'good night'. He _never_ said 'good night'. It was always a quick 'see ya later' or his signature parting remark, 'until tomorrow". Now she's worried about him. Why did he say that? Was he still going to shadow her? Was he gone – for good?

Damn, now she could only think about him and what Josh did to compound the situation. She needed to find Rick and talk to him.

Xx

 _"And here I was thinking that he'd suddenly become blind,"_ Rick thought to himself as he stopped walking and turned towards Josh.

"Dr. Davidson," Rick replied to the surgeon.

"Oh come on, Rick, there's no need to be so formal, is there?" Josh replied.

Rick, who had already too much to drink, leered at Josh accusingly, wondering what he was up to. It wasn't until Josh put his arm around his shoulder and moved towards the booth that Rick got suspicious of the doctor's intentions.

'Come on, let's have a seat here at this booth, Castle."

If Rick knew one thing, it was when he was about to be made a fool of. And now was one of those times. He couldn't figure out what Josh wanted with him, so he waited him out as they sat down in the booth.

"So Rick, what are you drinking there? Looks like it's kind of expensive just looking at the bottle - mind sharing some?"

God, all Rick wanted was to have a drink in peace. And now he was sharing his bottle with the competition. Rick hated this man with a passion because Josh had the one thing he can't have - Kate.

"Actually no, Josh, this bottle cost me $2,000. I usually share my toys with others, but not today. I'm sure you can get the waitress attention to get you something else to drink. But just let me ask you one question. Why are you here? I came here to drown my sorrows and you show up. What's up with that?"

"First of all, Rick, I didn't even know you were here. I just wandered in here because my girlfriend told me that I should take a break from bothering her at work."

 _"_ Gee, now that sounds like good advice, _"_ Rick said under his breath.

"Listen, if I wanted company I would have asked you to come along. But since I'm here by myself why don't you leave?"

"Oh no, Rick. I think we should have a man to man talk. Because I think you have underlying motives towards my girlfriend."

"Ha! Your dreaming Josh. I will never make a play for another man's woman."

"So I guess that's it. Conversation's over huh?"

"Why are you being such a prick, Josh?"

"Rick, something is going on between the two of you. I know that you're…

"There's nothing going on between me and Beckett," Rick says cutting off Josh.

"Man you sure took the defensive a little too quickly there Rick. Are you sure there's no truth to what I just said?"

"Go fuck yourself!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I really think that's the alcohol talking. So have another shot, Rick, then we'll talk some more."

He doesn't know why, but he pours poured himself another shot and downed it in one swallow. He gave Josh a hostile look and Josh backed off, but only a little.

"Listen, Rick, I hear that you and Kate have been spending a lot of time together. And it has nothing to do with you following her for research for your books."

"I don't know where you're getting your information from, but you're wrong."

"Oh, so now I'm wrong, huh? You know you might want to take that back because I saw you two weeks ago leaving my girlfriend's apartment. Now, unless there was a crime committed in her apartment, you had no reason to be there." Josh said with a bit of a sneer.

Josh could be so arrogant. There was no way in hell Rick was going to tell him why he'd been in Kate's apartment two weeks ago. That was the night that he had set up the fundraiser for her mother's scholarship fund. And they talked about it for at least 3 hours before it got too late and he left. But now he wondered - was Josh watching what he was doing with Kate? That would be creepy. He shouldn't have to defend his actions for something that was going to benefit law students and Kate.

"Josh, not that it's any of your business, but I was going over some financial ideas with Kate that night. There was nothing going on between us then or now."

Rick poured and downed another shot before Josh answered.

"Why don't I believe you, Rick? Listen I'm going to tell you this once, and once only. Kate loves me, not you! She doesn't have time for a millionaire playboy who would probably just exploit her all over Page Six of the Ledger when he finally beds her. So why are you still following her around after almost four years? Everybody knows you should have more than enough information to write at least another fifty books. Not that I'm possessive over anyone, but I think that your time is quickly coming to an end at the 12th precinct."

Rick sat back in the booth and actually thought about what Josh had just said. Somewhere deep inside it pissed him off that Josh thought he would drag Kate's good name through the mud for a quick romp in the sack. Rick was never a physical person, finding it rather senseless to beat the shit out of anyone because it solved nothing. What he preferred was to talk out what was going on between the two parties to find a civil resolution.

That wasn't how he was feeling now. Without realizing it, his fist moved forward on its own accord and connected with Josh's nose. The damage was instantaneous. Josh's hands went immediately to cover his nose as Rick withdrew his fist back to his side. Blood spurted down the front of Josh's shirt.

"You son of a bitch! You just broke my fucking nose!" Josh said in a muffled voice.

"Don't you ever say that about Kate!" Rick growled in turn. "She's not some whore!"

Before he realized it Rick was being lifted off the bench and pushed towards the back exit which led to the alley. Josh was very strong for a doctor.

"Finally. Castle. we're going to settle this like men. I'm going to beat the ever-living crap out of you! No one punches me and gets away with it. I'm glad you're drunk because this should be pretty easy." Josh crowed as he dragged Rick towards the back door of the bar and into the darkness and fetid stench of the alley.

The bartender had been watching the whole exchange between the two men since the second man arrived and knew something like this was going to happen. So when the second man was punched in the nose he was on the phone with 911 straight away. He wasn't going to get involved in a fight between two meatheads who wanted to kill each other. With his civic duty now done, he moved down the bar to serve his next customer.

By the time Rick reached the back door to the bar, Josh had made a determined effort to shove him against the door itself. He had the presence of mind to use his hands to shield his head from hitting the door, but Josh kept him moving forward towards the door. It was slightly open when he hit it after being shoved into it by Josh. He lost his balance and ended up sprawled on the alley cobblestones.

"Get up. Castle, we'll settle this once and for all! See who's really a man here."

Rick knew that he was way too inebriated to put up any kind of fight and come out as the victor with Josh. So he did what he did best: he hid his strength and used what Kate had taught him in the gym at the 12th.

Josh wasted no time trying to get even for the punch to his nose. He goaded Rick into swinging at him but Rick never took the bait.

"What's the matter, Castle? All talk and no action? Funny, it seems to me like you turned into a pussy! "

Something in Rick took over. He didn't know whether it was the Scotch or just pure rage.

He lunged to his feet and charged towards Josh. He did what Kate taught him, putting his head down and ramming straight into Josh's midsection. It would have worked, had Josh not anticipated the move. But Rick didn't come away empty-handed. He was able to knock Josh backward into the wall of the bar. As Rick recovered his balance, he spun around and was instantly met with Josh's fist to the side of his head. He had seen stars before from other bar fights he'd been in, but this was on a different level. Josh's hands were like sledgehammers. That seemed odd to Rick since Josh was a thoracic heart surgeon. He always thought they protected their hands from any kind of damage. That told Rick that Josh was really pissed off to risk injuring his hands.

Josh knew that he could bury Castle anytime he wanted. He just wanted to play with him for a little bit longer before he did him in. He clasped both his hands together and raised them above his head to come down hard on Castle's back, instantly knocking him to the ground. All he hears is Rick groaning.

"Not so tough now, are you, Castle?" Josh taunted.

"You know what, Josh? You deserve what I'm going to do now. You should never let your guard down."

Finding energy he never knew he had, Rick swung one leg out and clipped Josh's calf, sending him to the cobblestone alley. When Rick got up, he could see Josh was dazed. Even so, he was able to get up and land another shot to Rick's midsection, sending him back into the wall of the bar. Even in his drunken stupor, Rick could tell that Josh had no training as a street fighter. He was hitting with his thumb curled under his fingers. Rick had been taught never to do that because it would end up breaking your thumb if you hit your target hard enough. Rick pushed off the wall and landed another punch to Josh's right eye socket, knocking him backwards.

Before he knew it, Josh landed his ass on the cobblestone alley. He looked up and saw Castle's fist heading straight for his face. All he could do was duck slightly to possibly lessen the hit, but he didn't anticipate Castle adjusting his swing to hit him directly in the jaw. Josh closed his eyes in anticipation of the hit, and when it connected he felt a jolt of pain as two front teeth snapped off and flew out of his mouth. He staggered and tumbled to the ground.

"Had enough, Josh?" Rick asked, shaking off the pain in his right hand.

"You son of a bitch! You knocked out two of my teeth!" said Josh as he spat a clot of bright scarlet blood onto the pavement at Rick's feet. Blood dripped out of his mouth and onto his clothes.

"Just remember who started this," Rick warned as he turned to leave Josh on the ground, bleeding.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, CASTLE!"

"Yeah, it is," Rick muttered as he stumbled through the alley and back onto Crosby Street to hail a cab to head home.

"CASTLE, GET BACK HERE!" Josh yelled as he tried to get up but failed and collapsed into a groaning heap again.

Rick was lucky enough to find a cab and he was home in less than ten minutes. He had a little trouble with getting the key into the lock but after three tries he finally opened the door. The loft was silent. Who knew where his mother was, but he thought Alexis was going to be home studying. Hmm, that's weird, he thought. He only wanted to sleep and decided to clean up in the morning. There was nothing important that an extra 15 minutes of sleep can't fix when he gets up later. The only thing he removes is his sports jacket and hangs it on the bedpost. He falls head first onto the bed and is out within seconds.

Xx

By the time Kate looked at her watch, it was over five hours later. All her information for the government forms was filled out to the best of her ability. She still needed to talk to Fallon for his input before he left for Washington. She picked up her desk phone and called Josh's cell but got a generic voicemail greeting telling her to leave a message, so she ends the call. So, she turns off the lamp on her desk, shuts down or computer, grabbed her jacket, keys, and purse, and headed over to Josh's place.

By the time she got there, she was not in the best of moods because he didn't answer his door. She could have sworn that they were meeting up together later. But she was two hours late over the three that she promised him that she'd be there. Maybe he went to get something to eat. She turned around and headed back to her apartment, knowing that it was almost 11:15 PM and she had to be back to work at 7:30 in the morning. The ride home was uneventful and she was in bed by midnight.

 **A/N: I am so sorry to not give credit where credit is due in the first chapter. Lord of Kavaka is the genius behind the cover art for this story. And for that, I am forever in his debt.**

 **A/N 2: This is our entry for Castle Ficathon Winter 2018!**


	3. Chapter 3

The alarm sounds and Kate hits the snooze button but with no result. That's when she realizes it's not the alarm going off but her cell phone ringing. She makes a quick grab for the phone, ripping it from the charging cord and as she does, the wire falls to the floor.

"Beckett," she answers.

"Detective, this is Dispatch. We've got a body for you."

"Okay, just text me the address and I'll be there in twenty minutes."

She ends the call; Dispatch sends a text that she hears pinging on her phone two minutes later. She looks over at the clock: 4:23 in the morning. She drags herself out of bed and jumps in the shower quickly to rid herself of the lingering effects of sleep. In less than ten minutes, she's dressed and out the door; pulling out her phone to read the text that Dispatch sent, she notices that the crime scene is not far from Castle's loft, so she shoots him a quick text telling him they have a body. She's not surprised that she doesn't get a response. It's early, after all.

She pulls up to the crime scene, which is already roped off with yellow caution tape. She walks toward the M.E.'s van and sees that Lanie is already here processing the body.

When Lanie hears the distinct sound of Kate's heels on the cobblestone alleyway she looks up.

"No way, girl. Don't tell me you got the shitty end of the stick on this one?"

"Yeah, Lanie it looks like I drew the short straw on this one. Karpowski's team is still working on that double murder. The one that they haven't gotten anywhere with yet. So, it's just me and the boys on this one."

"Speaking of the boys, where are they?"

"Last night was Madden night at Javi's place. And you know they consumed at least a case of beer between the two of them."

"Yeah, I can never understand why they would intentionally want to do something like that," Lanie sniffs. "It's only a video game for God's sake. You'd think their lives revolved around it!"

"So what do we have here?" Kate asked.

"Hard to say. His body was found behind the dumpster in the fetal position. We just pulled him out from behind it about 15 minutes ago after CSU took pictures and collected some evidence. But what I can tell you is that whoever this is, he took a hell of a beating. His chest was practically crushed by something. And I'm not too sure of what it was. But it's his face that really makes me nauseous. It looks like someone put him through a meat grinder - I've been dealing with dead bodies for over ten years now and this disturbs even me. Whoever killed this man did it with his fists and that pipe leaning up against the wall. I'm guessing that's the murder weapon, but I can't be sure until CSU runs further tests on it. I hope that you haven't eaten anything yet.

Kate looked over to where the pipe was leaning against the wall, already in an evidence bag. She knew that Lanie wouldn't move it from where it was until she saw it. She walked over and picked up the bag and looked at the pipe, noting the amount of blood all over it.

"Lanie, any I.D. on the body?"

"I was just getting to that. Just let me finish taking these notes and you can help me roll him over to see if he has a wallet in his back pocket."

Kate nodded in agreement and Lanie finished up her notes. Taking hold of the man's shoulder and hip, Lanie rolled him towards herself. Kate fished around his back pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet. Lanie, who already had the body bag in place, rolled him onto it and got ready to transport his body back to the morgue.

She stood up and looked at Kate as she was going through the man's wallet trying to find his I.D. What Lanie saw next was something she never expected to see. Kate's body started to shake. She'd never done this at a crime scene before and Lanie couldn't imagine why she was doing it now, so she took Kate's hand and gently turned her towards herself. That's when she saw the driver's license Kate held in her hand.

Lanie was looking at a picture of Dr. Joshua Davidson.

"Kate?"

"Lanie?"

The ME really didn't know what to say. She'd only been with the body for 45 minutes, and as she looked at him again, the height and weight looked like it could be him, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure - and she was still at a loss as to what to tell her best friend.

"Kate, I don't know what to say. It could be him but I'm not sure. Do you remember what he was wearing last night when he came to see you at the 12th?"

"There was just so much going on. Fallon left us with the paperwork on our end, Rick had just left, and Josh just showed up out of the blue. We had a disagreement and before I knew it he left. So, I never really got a good look at what he was wearing. Not that I'd notice, anyway."

Kate turned away from the body, not wanting to know if it was really him or not. Just then Esposito and Ryan showed up.

"What do we have, boss?" Esposito asked.

"Javi, Kevin - I'm not sure what we have yet. The body over there could be my boyfriend. And then again, maybe not. Identification will be tough because he's got no face left. Literally. Lanie is going to have to use dental records and his DNA on file with the hospital in order to make a positive I.D."

"Beckett, wasn't he supposed to have dinner with you last night after you finished the paperwork for the feds? And if I'm not mistaken he's right behind a seedy bar. Not to say that he would do something like cheating to you, but why was he down here in the first place?" Javi asked.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that whoever that is over there died a very horrible death. And it's our job to find out who killed him."

Lanie zipped up the body bag and two of the techs lifted the body and placed it on the gurney. They brought it back to the ME's van and Lanie said to Kate, "I'll have a solid identification for you in less than 2 hours. Then you can make the call to inform next of kin."

"Thanks, Lanie," Kate replies.

"So Beckett, what do you want us to do now?" Ryan inquires.

"For any good it will do Kevin I need you to knock on doors in the surrounding area but only go a block in any direction. Whoever you find that far away probably wouldn't have heard what happened."

"Javi, I need you to run point on that bar. I know it's not open now, but when it does open I need you here first thing. Interview as many witnesses as you can; maybe we can get a lead on what happened here."

"Hey Beckett, where's your shadow?" Ryan asked.

"Not sure. I sent him a text earlier but didn't get a response back."

"Oh, okay." Kevin shrugged as he turned to canvas.

Kate headed out of the alley and watched as the coroner's van drove away, possibly carrying her boyfriend.

Xx

By about 8:00 am she still hadn't heard from Castle; she wondered if he was still mad at her from Josh showing up last night. She thought about it and shook it off, knowing that he was a forgiving man. Then her desk phone rang.

"Beckett."

"Kate, I need you to come down to the morgue."

"Okay, Lanie. Let me get the boys and we'll be there in…..."

"No, Kate. Only you." Lanie insisted. Then the line went dead.

Kate didn't know what to think. Lanie always wanted to share the results with her and the boys. Now she was worried. What did she find? Was it really Josh? If it was Josh, had he been with another woman and Lanie didn't want the boys to know? God, she really needed to get there. But first, she needed to tell Kevin and Javi.

"Kevin, I'm heading down to the morgue. Take Javi and see if the day crew for that bar are in it yet. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Okay, Beckett. We're about to head out. But the Captain wants an update. Do you want Espo to give it to him or would you like to do it?"

Kate glanced at the clock on the wall and made the decision to have Espo update the Captain while she went to the morgue.

"Yeah Kev, have him do it. I'll meet you back here when you finish with the canvas."

"Okay, see you when we get back."

Kate made her way straight to the elevator and down to the basement where Lanie waited for her. She was still deep in thought about why Lanie wanted her alone. She walked out of the elevator and didn't see her best friend anywhere. Walking over to the exam table where the body was, Kate looked him over. Her friend did a lot to get the deceased looking better than he was when she first saw him. But she still couldn't tell if it was Josh or not.

"And you say it's creepy when Castle stares at you?"

"Lanie! You scared the shit out of me. Why the secrecy about me coming without the boys?"

"Well, there are some things that I still need to hold over Javi. That, and you are going to need to face some hard facts."

Lanie walked up to the body that was lying naked on the slab and Kate could have smacked herself in the head. She'd only just noticed it. On Josh's inner thigh, close to his groin, he had a tattoo that said in script _**if you can dream it, you can do it.**_ When Kate looked up at Lanie she knew that it was Josh by the nod she gave.

"He died at the hands of a madman. Kate, whoever did this was ruthless. They pummeled his head and left it looking like chopped meat. Hell, his eye sockets were fractured so badly that they could not even hold his eyes in his head. That's some kind of brutality."

"So a victimized woman would be out of the question then?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. No question about that. But that's not why I called you down here." Lanie took the evidence bag and handed it to Kate.

"Look at the flecks of nail polish in the bag."

"Okay, what is that, fire engine red?" Kate guessed, looking at the small pieces of nail polish.

"No. Scarlet red. And it's pricey too. It's Tom Ford's brand. A .31-ounce bottle of his stuff goes for $37.00."

"Lanie, what are you saying?"

"Kate, I need to ask, were you with him at all last night?"

"No. I went to his place even though it was later than I promised but he wasn't home."

"So that's not your shade of nail polish?" Lanie asked.

"No," Kate scoffed. "I would never spend $37.00 on a bottle of nail polish."

"Kate, there's more. Come over here and take a whiff of his chest. Tell me what you smell."

She does and the odor is familiar to her but she can't quite place it.

"What is that, Giorgio Armani?" Kate asks.

"No, Kate, that's Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. It retails for $4,600 for a 7.6 oz bottle."

"Lanie, there's no way he was stepping out on me. I'd know if he was."

"Would you, Kate?"

"I'm sure of it." Kate turned to leave, thinking that her friend made her point and was done.

"Hold up a second there, detective," Lanie said, hating to burst her bubble right now.

"What is it, Lanie?" Kate turned towards her, and Lanie could see the tears that were about to break free.

"I have solid physical evidence that Josh was attacked and killed by someone we both know."

"Who, Lanie?"

 **A/N: In the first chapter I thanked the writers who helped me get this story off the ground. This was all well and good because they did help me immensely. But there was one very important person who I did not thank because without him this story would never have been written to start with. Islandjamie is the person who deserves credit for this story. He gave me the prompt to write this.**

 **Thank you, Jim.**

 **P2P**


	4. Chapter 4

The pounding started around 8:55 in the morning. Someone was very insistent that they get into the loft. It wasn't until Castle heard the following words that he bolted out of bed and made his way to the front door. The second he did, he regretted it. His hangover took center stage. The pounding started again, and his head felt every blow.

"Richard Castle, this is the NYPD. We have a warrant for your arrest."

This made him stop short of the front door and rethink his approach. He didn't recognize the voice that made the demand, so at least it wasn't Kate. And for that he was grateful.

"Richard Castle, we know that you're in there. Make this easy on yourself and open the door, sir."

Knowing that he would never impede a police warrant being served, he took hold of the door handle and opened it. What he saw on the other side shook him. Standing there with a warrant clutched in her hand was Kate. Espo walked forward physically preventing him from moving from the doorway against the door that didn't open. Ryan made his way to the computer in Rick's office.

"Kate? What's going on?" Rick asked as she walked around the loft as if she owned the place. She was moving towards the bedroom and other areas in the loft, apparently looking for something.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Rick demanded as patrol officers started to rummage through the loft and his question still went unanswered.

When Kate emerged from Castle's office, she had the shirt he'd been wearing last night in an evidence bag. She nodded to Javi, who turned Rick around, placed his chest against the door, pulled his left arm up behind his back, and cuffed his wrists together.

"Richard Castle, you are under arrest for the murder of Joshua Davidson."

"Wait, what? Hold on a sec…"

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. With these rights in mind, are you willing to talk to me about the charges against you? Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Rick simply shook his head "no", not saying a word.

Xx

The police had the courtesy to let him get dressed instead of hauling him from the loft in his boxers and tee shirt. Esposito took him by the arm and brought him to his unmarked car. He took Detective Esposito's advice and didn't say one word. He kept silent the whole ride back to the 12th precinct. By the time they got to the precinct, it was just short of 9:30 in the morning. Esposito took him from the car and brought him straight up to an interrogation room where he connected his handcuffs to the center eye bolt in the middle of the table, just to make sure he wouldn't go anywhere. When Espo pulled tight on the cuffs to make sure they were locked securely Rick gave him a look and he knew that Esposito already had made up his mind on his guilt or innocence. And it wasn't in his favor. They let him sit in the interrogation room for almost an hour and a half before Ryan came in. The second Rick noticed him walking in, he knew that Kate had lost all respect for him as a friend and a person.

"Mr. Castle, where were you last night between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.?" Ryan asked.

This could go either one of two ways. He always liked Ryan and if he spoke now, Kevin would get brownie points for making him talk. Kate and Esposito were certainly on the other side of the mirrored glass, watching the exchange. He just said the one thing that he knew would piss her off and maybe even get Esposito's ire up as well.

"I'm not saying anything until my lawyer arrives. It's my understanding that this is one of my rights as Detective Esposito read them to me. Until my attorney arrives, I'm not saying anything to you or your partner or even your boss," Rick said as he inclined his head towards the observation room but never once made eye contact with the two people in the room.

"Mr. Castle, that's your right, but if you do decide to talk I'm sure that the lead detective will go easy on you. Just give us your movements between the hours of 8 and 11 last night, then you might be able to get out of here sooner than you think," Ryan added hopefully.

Rick sat stiffly on the ridiculously uncomfortable chair and thought about how badly they wanted him for something he didn't do. He knew this was their tactic. They would play nice until they needed him to confess to something, whether he did it or not. He knew that when he left Josh in the alley last night he was very much alive. He knew this to be true. But the fact was that they didn't. And he was not going to willingly give up any information for them to mull over, no matter what. He was going to make them work for it. And if Kate had that little faith in him, to think that he would actually kill her boyfriend or any other human being, she had another thing coming.

"Detective, I repeat my request. I need to see my attorney before I speak to anyone working this case. That includes your boss - who I'm sure right now is looking at me, wondering why I'm not talking to you. And you can tell her, even though I know she can hear what is being said right now, that from this point forward I will have nothing to do with your team or the NYPD. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to make my phone call to my lawyer please."

Xx

Kate knew Rick was right. She and Espo were standing on the other side of the glass, watching Ryan try to get a confession out of him. It was a longshot that wasn't going to happen and they both knew it. This was Castle they were talking about here, and there was no way he could kill anyone, let alone her boyfriend. Still, she wasn't a hundred percent sure about his innocence. From the minute she received the phone call this morning from Dispatch until she talked to Lanie about what she had found on the body, it really could have been him, and that's what she was basing all her subsequent actions on.

As she looked at Rick through the glass she was slack-jawed, knowing that he just gave up working with them from now on. She wasn't going to be upset about him not working with her anymore, but it hurt to know that he left _her_.

She knew it was a gamble to send Ryan into Interrogation to ask Rick for an alibi, but if she laid eyes on Rick nothing would ever be resolved. However, she ended up having to go in anyway after she got the report from Lanie specifying Josh's COD. For now, she'd let him stew in his own juices for a while, then he could call his lawyer and have him show up while she questioned him on her own.

Xx

Kate was sitting at her desk when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Lanie calling.

"Beckett," she answered.

"Kate, I have the results from Josh's autopsy. On top of his face being beaten to a pulp, it seems that something heavy was dropped on his chest. If he didn't die from blows to his head, he would have died from internal injuries in a matter of minutes. There's no way he would have made it out of the alley to get help from anyone. The only two things that are out of the ordinary are the perfume and the nail polish chips that I found embedded in his shirt." Lanie sighed and went on sadly, "Castle is a match for the blood spatter. It's all over Josh's shirt, head, and the alley around his body. I'm not telling you how to do your job, girl, but if it were me I would look at Castle's hands to see if he has any abrasions or cuts on his knuckles."

Hearing this information from Lanie would definitely have given Kate the impression that Rick was the person who killed Josh. But two things that Lanie found had her second-guessing his guilt. The nail polish just threw her for a loop because she knew as well as anyone did that Rick didn't wear nail polish.

"Lanie, what is the COD?"

"His official cause of death is blunt force trauma. There are too many areas with too much damage to pin down which he actually died from, but that's my official ruling."

"Thanks, Lanie."

Once Kate hung up the phone she needed to add the autopsy findings to her murder board. She looked at the picture of Rick under the suspect list and couldn't believe it had come to this. Could he have done this? She hoped not, but her captain told her to go where the evidence leads, not the other way around.

"Beckett," Ryan called out to her.

"What is it, Ryan?"

"Listen, about Castle…"

"Ryan, I know that you did your best, but let's face it, Castle was never going to say anything incriminating to anyone. He's too smart and knows our playbook. Right now, I'm letting him think about what happened."

"That's the thing, Beckett," Kevin argued. "We really didn't give him anything to think about."

Kate spun around and looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"What are you saying, Kevin?"

"We hauled him in here without any hard evidence. All we have is a bloody shirt, which is circumstantial at best. There's no security camera footage from the alley. Hell, we can't even put him at the scene. "Then there's the injuries. Can you explain how Rick crushed Josh's ribcage?"

"Listen, Kevin, my job is to gather evidence, find leads, and arrest a suspect for questioning. The DA is the one who has to build a case and prosecute."

"Come on, Beckett," Ryan persisted. "You know his attorney will have him turned loose before the sun sets tonight. You know if it was anyone other than Castle, you would have brought him in and questioned him as a Person if Interest then you would have let him go until we had some real evidence."

"Yeah, but he did it," Espo said as he walked into the bullpen heading towards his desk.

"Why do you say that?" Kate asked.

"Beckett, it's simple - motive. He couldn't stand you being with Motorcycle Boy. So, he took matters into his own hands and he offed the dude."

SMACK! Esposito flinched when Ryan's open palm forcefully contacted the back of his partner's head.

Spinning to confront his friend, Esposito bristled indignantly. "Seriously, dude?"

"What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty', huh? This is Castle, people. Not some low-life off the streets. He's been with us for years, he's our partner, he's saved our lives for God's sake."

"Either way, let's keep him in there. Espo, turn up the heat by ten degrees, let him sweat some more." Kate ordered.

"Nothing good can come of this 'rush to judgment'," Kevin pleaded. "Frankly, I'm disgusted at what I've participated in already."

"Ryan, go home," Beckett directed "You're too close to Castle to be objective."

"And you two are not? None of us should be anywhere near this case." Kevin turned and stalked away, disappearing into the elevator as its doors slid closed.


	5. Chapter 5

The second the door opened, Kate could see that turning up the heat in the room had had the desired effect on Castle. She could see the sheen of sweat on his forehead and noticed that his hands seemed to be damp as well; he kept rubbing them together. The door swung closed behind her and he tracked her movement with his eyes the entire way to the table. She tossed the thick file she carried onto the table between them with a resounding thump. Drawing back a chair, she seated herself slowly and deliberately, never taking her eyes off her prey. Using her patented "intimidation by silence" skills, she flipped open the file and started to read. She knew that the silence and studied indifference tactics that she generally used to get a suspect to start talking were not likely to work on Castle.

As expected, Castle didn't take the bait. He sat there, stone-faced, staring directly into her eyes. She knew this interrogation was going nowhere because she knew him - all too well.

"Mr. Castle, it seems that your file has grown since we last met in this room. I'm just curious to know how you've managed that. It was pretty impressive to start with."

Rick was not going to fall for it. He knew she was trying to get him to talk, and without the presence of his lawyer, he wasn't saying one damn word.

"Cat got your tongue, Mr. Castle? This can go one of two ways: you can be the person that makes my job easier or the person that makes my job harder. And trust me, making it harder is not going to go well for you."

Satisfied with reading the file in front of her, she looked up into his ocean blue eyes. And he still wasn't saying a word. She couldn't figure him out. Never had he been this silent. So, if he wanted to play that game so would she.

 _Decision made then,_ she thought. _You're going to make me regret what happens next._

"Mr. Castle, can I ask you for your whereabouts between the hours of 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. last night? Because as of right now, you are my prime suspect for the violent murder of Dr. Joshua Davidson," Kate began.

Again Rick sat there stoically, not saying a word. He couldn't believe she could be this cold and impersonal. Just less than twenty-four hours ago he saved her life, along with half the population of New York City, from a dirty bomb. If he'd known then what he knew now, maybe things might have ended a bit differently.

"Mr. Castle, we have strong evidence that you were the perpetrator of this crime in our possession. Right now, our techs are going through your loft to find more evidence to prove that you are the one responsible for taking Mr. Davidson's life. It'll only be a matter of time before they come back and tell me that they have the evidence I need to put you away… for life."

Kate stumbled on the last two words of the sentence, knowing that if he was guilty she would never see him again. When she looked up at his face again she could see that he was going to say something and she waited patiently.

Rick waited until she was looking directly at him and he had her undivided attention before he spoke because he was only going to say this once.

"Detective Beckett, I've been in this interrogation room for the past two and a half hours. If my attorney does not arrive within the next five minutes I will file a wrongful arrest lawsuit against the NYPD, Captain Montgomery, Detectives Esposito and Ryan, and yourself."

Xx

Her calls had gone unanswered and it was starting to worry her. Never has her dad not taken a call from her, no matter what time of day she's called. She tried one more time just for good measure and still, she got his voice mail. Something was going on and she didn't know what it was. She ended the call and dialed her grandmother's number - and that too went right to voicemail. She didn't leave a message and now she didn't know who to call. She'd give it some time before she tried again.

Her studies had taken her from Oxford to the University of Edinburgh, and then finally to the University of Amsterdam where she had spent many months. The exchange program she signed up for had lasted six months and now all she could think about was getting all of her research down and into her paper. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for her. She had decided to study child behavior, and without even knowing it, her school offered her one of the first openings to travel abroad and learn about how other countries handled disruptive children. It was what made her want to become a social worker. At first, it was a hard decision, but seeing the pain and uncertainty of the children she interviewed in New York when she was trying to make up her mind to become a social worker made it clear that this is what she wanted to do. And now she couldn't figure out if she wanted to work on her own as a therapist or work for the city she loved. She had been back in New York for two months and couldn't seem to adjust to being back. She picked up the phone once more and dialed her dad's number, sadly with the same result.

Xx

Frustrated, Kate decided to go for broke. Josh had his face practically ripped from his skull. She knew that whoever did this must have physical evidence on their person.

"Mr. Castle, there could be one simple way for you to prove your innocence. I need you to show me your hands," Kate demanded.

When the second statement came out of her mouth, Rick removed his hands from his lap and sat on them. He was not going to give her any more ammunition to convict him for something he didn't do. He just looked at her with bleak resignation. He was not going to show her his hands.

Before he could even react, she lost her temper and launched out of the chair and around the table. She grasped the sleeve of his shirt and tried to pull his hands from under his legs. He refused to expose his hands no matter how hard she pulled. She'd give him this much, he was strong.

"Castle," Beckett admonished, her voice rising as her temper flared. "Stop it, let go."

Esposito, just walking back from the break room with a fresh cup of coffee, heard a chair scrape across the floor inside the interrogation room, then a thud as something crashed into the wall. He hastily set his coffee down and strode toward the room where Kate was presumably interrogating Richard Castle. Hearing Kate's shout, he automatically drew his weapon, thinking Kate was in trouble.

When the door swung open, Rick was backed into a corner with his hands behind him; Kate was struggling to pull them from behind Castle. Esposito already convinced that Castle was guilty, immediately grabs his shoulder and his right thumb pulling it backwards, dislocating it to make him sit back in the down in the chair. Then Esposito took out his handcuffs and handcuffed Castle back to the eye bolt in the middle of the table.

All Kate could do when she stood in front of Rick was look at him, hoping he would understand why she wanted to see his hands, but all she could see was the expression on his face morphing from hesitation to anger and disgust in the blink of an eye.

Even though Rick's hand was now throbbing with pain and the injuries Josh inflicted on him were stabbing him with white-hot bolts of agony, he kept his cool and said, "Detective, now would be a good time for me to call my attorney since you have been stonewalling me since I arrived."

Kate pulled her phone from her jacket and asked him for the number so she could dial it. Once she did, she put it on speaker for him and left the interrogation room with Esposito in tow. The second the door closed behind them Kate spun on Esposito, almost pinning him against the wall of the interrogation room.

"Can you tell me what the hell you were thinking by doing that to Castle?"

"Come on, Beckett, the guy is guilty. No two ways about it, he is just stalling the inevitable."

"Espo, what you did in there is going to put us in so much hot water," Kate said as she stepped back, closed her eyes, and placed her index finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose, thinking of what just happened in the interrogation room seconds ago.

Without another word she turned away from Esposito and headed back to her desk. She stood there waiting for a second before she sat down to make a mental list of all the evidence they had against Castle. But really all the evidence they have is circumstantial, such that the DA would never try to indict with, knowing it's not even close to being enough for a conviction. She sat at her desk and opened the email that Lanie had sent with a cause of death. The report gave the time and the specific cause of death, blunt force trauma.

In the last thirty minutes, Kate had read the same sentence over and over with no new insight. She was so immersed in the report that she didn't hear a man walk up to her desk and stand expectantly.

"Detective Beckett. My name is Marty Jones, and I'm here representing Richard Castle. I'd like to see my client now."

Kate looked up at the attorney, who was sharply dressed, and she imagines he's probably worth the $1,000 an hour salary that Rick pays him.

Kate stood from her desk and Esposito gave her a dirty look.

"Right this way, counselor. I'll bring you to him."

The attorney followed Kate down the hallway towards interrogation Room 1.

"Detective, have formal charges been brought up against my client?" the attorney asked.

"Counselor, we're still investigating this case, but no, he has not been charged with any crime yet."

"Good. I'll be requesting that he be released on his own recognizance after I speak with him then."

"Mr. Jones, while that might be your request, Mr. Castle is a prime suspect in a murder case."


	6. Chapter 6

Since Alexis wasn't able to get hold of her father, she decided to head over to the loft. The second she walked off the elevator she heard the voices of people that shouldn't have been in her former home. She cautiously ventured toward the place where she used to live and the first thing she saw was the door swung wide open.

Yellow barrier tape draped across the door, sending an unmistakable message – Do Not Enter. There were people in the loft she didn't recognize, and she couldn't understand why they were there. They were all wearing Tyvek suits and gloves to prevent contamination of a crime scene - which was what this had to be if they were in the loft doing what they appeared to be doing. Alexis briefly considered marching right past the loft and down the back stairway to leave the building. But she knew that she wouldn't get any answers if she didn't at least look in to see what they were doing.

She squeezed through the doorway, and at first no one challenged her because everyone was busy focusing on the task at hand. As she advanced further into the loft, she saw four techs gathering fingerprints and physical evidence. A young Asian-American man looked up to see her standing in the living room.

"Miss, you can't be in here. This is an active crime scene and I need you to leave," the tech says with as much authority as he can muster.

"This is my home - I live here. Can you please tell me why you're in my father's house?"

"I can't go into all the particulars, but your father was arrested for suspicion of murder."

"That's impossible! My father would never kill anyone."

The tech gave Alexis a look that says _, yeah, like I've never heard that one before_.

"Miss, we have a dead body that proves otherwise."

"Okay, if he is suspected of murder, who did he kill?" Alexis demanded.

The tech walked over to his clipboard, picked it up, and flipped through the pages until he found the victim's name. He read the name of the deceased, which he really shouldn't do, but if it got this woman out of here quicker he would give her a name.

"Your father is suspected of killing Doctor Joshua Davidson."

The second Alexis heard the name her body became rigid, and a chill ran throughout her entire being.

The tech watched her body language and saw her face turn pale. Maybe telling her wasn't the right thing to do after all because she wasn't moving.

"Do you know the deceased, Miss?"

Alexis just stood there, not knowing what to say. What _could_ she say? It was her father's partner's boyfriend.

Xx

 _Flashback 12 hours earlier…_

Alexis had checked all of her dad's usual hangouts and found nothing. Then she had the idea to go to the Old Haunt. Maybe he might be there. But in the end that turned up nothing as well. There was only one last place he could possibly be, and she didn't want to believe that he would still be there that late. But she knew somehow that he would be there no matter what. She was just about to cross the street to enter the 12th Precinct when she stopped dead in her tracks, seeing him descend the stairs and then look to his left and then to his right. When he turned left, she matched his pace on the other side of the street but stayed back far enough so she wouldn't be noticed by him.

She sensed that her dad was internally struggling with something, but she couldn't figure out what it might be. At times it even looked like he was talking to himself as he walked.

He was just about three blocks away from the precinct when she saw him pause at the door to a pub, hesitate for a second, and then walk in. There had been many times when she found him in his office, too intoxicated to get up from his chair to go to bed. She suspected that it was going to happen tonight as well. He was going to tie one on and come home complaining about why Kate wouldn't express her feelings towards him. She knew that the detective had feelings for her father, but Kate has hidden them well. Alexis didn't know why Kate treated her dad the way she did, but her father had loved Kate unconditionally for the past year and a half.

Directly across from the pub there was a 24-hour diner; Alexis entered and took a seat facing the pub so she could see when her dad left.

She ordered a cup of coffee and watched the pub's front door. Everything was fine for twenty minutes - until she saw Doctor Motorcycle Boy walking casually along the sidewalk towards the same pub her father had just entered. When he entered the pub, Alexis grimaced and muttered, "Crap, nothing good can come of this."

She finished her coffee, requested the bill and toyed with the idea of going straight over to the bar, then decided she'd wait it out a little before she did. Almost an hour went by and neither man had come out the front door. Alexis knew that those two were an explosive combination. It was a matter of when not if, they'd rub each other the wrong way. She got up from the table, leaving a tip for the coffee, and exited the diner. She crossed the street to the pub and pulled the door open. Although the pub was dimly lit, she should have been able to find him but didn't. She wanted to ask the bartender if her dad had been here, but instead, she wisely walked through the main floor of the pub towards the restrooms in the back. Before she got to the restrooms she saw a door directly in front of her that led to the alley. She slowly pushed against the panic bar to open the door and the second she did, she heard it.

"Not so tough are you now, Castle?"

"You know what, Josh? What I'm going to do now is something you deserve! You should never let your guard down."

She heard the sounds of fists hitting flesh and then someone collapsed on the ground.

"Had enough, Josh?"

"You son of a bitch! You knocked out two of my teeth!"

"Just remember who started this, Josh."

"This isn't over, Castle."

"Yeah, it is."

"CASTLE, GET BACK HERE!"

Alexis could hear a body as it slumped back down on the ground. She knew then that Josh was the one who got beaten. Pushing the door open, she saw what she expected to see. Her father, when he lost all control, could be devastating with his hands. And the fact that he was drinking didn't help matters. As she walked out into the alley, the first thing Josh did was look up at her with a disgusted look on his face.

"What are you looking at?" Josh snarled.

Alexis couldn't resist, it was just too easy.

"Not much!"

Before she knew it, he was close enough to grab a leg, and when he did he threw her off balance. She went down hard. When she looked at the smirk on his face, thinking he had the upper hand, she took her other leg and kicked him right where it counts….

Xx

 _Current time…_

The second Kate walked into the interrogation room her eyes automatically locked with Rick's. For a moment, she stood there just looking at him until the voice of his attorney intruded on her thoughts.

"That will be all, Detective."

Hearing his voice brought her back to the situation at hand. She left the room and watched as the attorney sat down in front of Castle.

"All right, Rick, tell me what happened."

"Last night, after we finished our latest case, I went out to get a drink. I went down to the Irish pub about three blocks from here - Reilly's. I was sitting there minding my own business when Detective Beckett's boyfriend came in and started giving me shit about how he thinks I am seeing his girlfriend. I told him that I wasn't and he made a stupid comment about me trying to sleep with her so I could get into page 6 of the Ledger. After he said that, I punched him right in the nose and broke it," Rick said miserably.

"Rick, this is just starting off as a basic bar fight. How did you get arrested for murder?"

"Later, after I broke his nose, he made some more comments and then we took it outside into the back alley."

The attorney just shook his head, knowing what came next.

"So even in my drunken stupor, I still kicked his ass and knocked out two of his teeth. When I left him lying in the alley he was very much alive. He even asked me to come back so he could try to even the score."

"Well, Rick, it's like this, they have no security camera footage because the back alley was not covered with cameras. They do have a lot of circumstantial evidence though. They have blood on your shirt, and from what I can see your hands are covered with cuts and bruises. What's going to happen next is that they will have a bail hearing. Seeing that you are, oh excuse me, make that _were_ working with the NYPD, I think the judge will grant you bail. But I'm here to tell you, it's not going to be cheap."

"That's fine, Marty; I have the money to back up my bail."

There was a knock on the door; Kate Beckett stood on the other side. Hearing the attorney say, "Enter," she pushed the door open.

"Counselor, I need to take your client back to holding. He will stay there until his bail hearing in about four hours."

"Very well. Thank you, Detective."

Kate knew when she was being dismissed, so she turned around and left the room. By the time she got back to her desk, she decided to have Esposito process Castle and escort him to holding. This was breaking her heart and she couldn't be the one who put him in jail.

Esposito fingerprinted Castle and escorted him to holding, where four hours seemed to fly by. His attorney went to his office and came back just in time for the bail hearing.

The court came to order and the judge called Castle's case.

"We're here today for an amount to be set for bail for one Richard Castle. Is the prosecution ready to proceed?" the judge asks.

"We are, Your Honor."

"All right then, let's get to it."

"Your Honor, the prosecution asks that bail be denied for Mr. Castle. He has extensive assets, and he's a flight risk. On top of that he knows the ins and outs of the NYPD and with this information he can easily escape monitoring and go off the grid, never to be found again."

"Objection! My client is not a flight risk," declared Rick's attorney. "He will surrender his passport and you can freeze his bank accounts after his bail is met. I can guarantee you that he is not going to be a flight risk."

The judge, who knew this would be a media circus, soon called for an adjournment to think over his position.

"The court will take a ten-minute recess." The judge rose from his chair and left the courtroom heading directly for his chambers.

The next ten minutes were agonizing for Rick. He wasn't sure which way this would go.

"All rise," the bailiff said as the judge walked back to his chair.

"In the matter of bail for Mr. Castle, I'm going to have to lean towards reassurance. Mr. Castle, you do know that you are a celebrity and you have more money than I will ever see in a lifetime. It is my ruling that bail will be denied."

Marty just looked at Rick with a frustrated look on his face. He thought for sure that they would grant him bail given the reassurances they gave the court.

Kate who was sitting in the back row dropped her head instantly, knowing that he would be remanded back to the 12th Precinct until he could be processed for transfer to Rikers Island.

"The suspect will be held until his transfer can be arranged by the 12th Precinct to Rikers. Next case," the judge called as his gavel hit the desk.


	7. Chapter 7

He is just one floor below her. Only one floor, but she has no idea what's happening just a couple of dozen steps away. He's as out of reach as the surface of the moon. Isolation and worry are rapidly driving her nuts.

 _Dammit, Kate, you're professional!_

 _If you want to help Castle, quit whining about what you don't know and do your job. Find the evidence that will clear him_.

She chokes back a sob, fat tears slide down her cheek, and her breathing becomes rapid and shallow. A sharp pain pierces her chest like an arrow, triggering a volley of wrenching sobs.

 _This must be what a broken heart feels like. I think that I left a thousand shards on the floor of that courtroom when the judge denied bail. Worst of all was the look of defeat I saw when he glanced at me as they led him out._

There is no one else near holding when she walks up from the hallway. She's trying to be stealthy as she walks.

 _If I don't make much noise, maybe I can get a glimpse of him before he knows that I'm here._

Through the bars, she sees a man who's pale and bedraggled. He's sitting on the cot with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. She approaches the holding cell slowly, and by now she thought he'd notice her. But he seems oblivious to what's going on around him. She doesn't know for sure but she thinks he could be weeping quietly. _He's lost all hope_. She moves closer and sees that he's not crying, just staring into space, his body rocked by occasional tremors. She stops at the door of the cell and just observes him for a minute before he looks up, and their eyes connect in a combination of sadness, longing, and worry.

The overwhelming pathos draws a gasp from Beckett. For a moment she almost sees the old Castle, the caring Castle, but it evaporates quickly; his face turns stone cold in the matter of a split second and he staggers to his feet, all business.

"Detective Beckett," Rick says coldly.

She can't really blame him because they did drag him down here under the suspicion of murder without giving him a reason as to why. He knows by now that he's accused of killing her boyfriend, which she doesn't want to believe, but the evidence speaks.

"So, detective what brings you down here? Are you slumming it with the riff raff?"

She gives him a look of annoyance. Surely, he knows that she doesn't think that low of him.

"Actually, Mr. Castle, I'm just checking up on you to see how you are doing. To make sure you're comfortable, are being fed, and have everything you need to make your stay here a little bit more pleasant."

"Oh, I see! You think this is funny, don't you?"

"No, Castle, I don't think it's funny. What I think is you killed a man last night and now you're here answering for your crime."

"Seriously? You actually think I killed your boyfriend?"

Kate stays silent. She doesn't want to give away anything that she found out in her investigation so far, but maybe she can give him a crumb or two to put his mind to work to try and find an answer to this. If anyone can make sense of the senseless, it's Richard Castle.

"Mr. Castle, it seems that in our initial investigation into the murder of Doctor Davidson, we've come across some clues that suggest he might have been in the company of another woman prior to his death."

From a sitting position on the cot, Rick stands. He seems intrigued by what she just said; maybe he thinks he might be able to help her.

"Is that so, Detective?"

"It is. I have had my suspicions about Dr. Davidson's fidelity of late. And the clues we found on his body just about confirm what I know is true."

Kate had decided before she came down to holding that she would actually listen to what he had to say and then make an educated decision on whether or not he was innocent or guilty.

"You know, Detective, I can never resist a good story. Tell me what these clues are and I might be able to clear not only myself but your conscience as well."

Kate looks up and down the corridor; once she is satisfied that there is no one within earshot she motions Rick to come closer.

"Castle, this is an active investigation and I really should not be divulging this information to a prisoner who is suspected of the crime I am investigating. But against my better judgment, I am going to give you two clues that might help you, and help me solve this crime."

Rick stands there, waiting for what she wants to tell him.

"The reason I know that Dr. Davidson had been in the company of a woman other than myself was because the medical examiner found flecks of scarlet red nail polish on his clothing Not only that, there was a faint smell of a very expensive perfume. This leads me to believe that not only was he unfaithful to me, but he was also deliberately doing it whenever he wanted."

"Is that so, Detective? I do have one question that you might want to answer."

She watches as Rick's mind goes into overdrive trying to process the clues, and she knows what he's going to ask next. When he looks at her, she's ready with an answer.

"The nail polish is a Tom Ford brand. Very expensive stuff. The perfume costs more than I make in one month. And that's only for a 7.6 oz bottle of the stuff. It's Chanel Coco Mademoiselle."

The second she finishes her statement, Rick's hands grab the cell bars, gripping them so tightly that his knuckles blanched. There is an immediate change in his demeanor. His face loses what little bit of color had remained, but he's quick to come back with an answer.

"Well, Detective, that narrows your pool of suspects down immensely. The nail polish, although not the most common one, isn't that much of a clue. Anybody could use that brand. The perfume, on the other hand - well, that's going to put your mystery dame among New York's wealthiest women. Or maybe their husbands are the top earners. Now, if you don't mind, Detective, I'd like to get some rest."

Rick turns away from her, walks back to his cot, and lies down without saying another word, just staring at the ceiling.

 _What the hell came over him?_ Kate thinks. _Something about the perfume really spooked him._

Just as she starts to walk away she hears Castle speak.

"Detective, would you be so kind as to call my attorney and have him pay me a visit? I'd appreciate it."

"Sure thing, Castle," Kate says. As she continues her walk back upstairs, puzzling over the significance of the perfume and Castle's reaction, she has a feeling that he's covering something up. But she has no idea what.

Castle's lawyer picks up on the second ring. "Marty Jones."

"Mr. Jones, this is Detective Beckett. I'm passing on word that your client Richard Castle would like to speak with you."

"That's very considerate of you detective. It's the least you could do after what you've done."

"What I've done? Counselor, I was doing my job. If I find a suspect with abrasions on his hands and physical evidence in his home, he's usually guilty."

"Oh, I see how it is, Detective. Now you're judge, jury, and executioner. I'll let you in on a little secret, Detective - your suspect is innocent. Just because he wasn't able to secure bail doesn't mean that he is guilty. Thanks for the phone call."

All Kate hears then is a dial tone. She secures her computer, takes her bag and coat and leaves for the night.

Xx

Arriving the next day, she notices that there is way too much activity going on within the first floor of the precinct. Patrolmen who usually don't associate with each other are talking in small groups. The homicide floor has a weird vibe as well. As she powers up her computer, she notices Karpowski and Stedner talking quietly together as they stare at her. Then her partners, Ryan and Esposito, are arguing heatedly as they walk into the bullpen and almost start throwing punches at each other. They only stop when they look over and see Beckett sitting at her desk. The second they do they both clam up and head to their respective desks.

Thinking that this is something personal that only involves the both of them, she'll play along, for now.

After about fifteen minutes of them glaring at each other and without having said a word to her, curiosity gets the better of her. Trying to stay casual, she asks, "So, guys, what's going on?"

They both startle and slowly turn to her. Esposito has a shit eating grin on his face and Ryan looks like someone just killed his puppy. Whatever it is, this isn't about her.

"Beckett, what time did you leave here last night?" Ryan asks her.

"I don't know, somewhere around eight, I guess. Why?"

"Then you don't know what happened in the Davidson case, right?"

 _Now we're getting somewhere!_ _Maybe some witness came forward and told the boys how Josh really died that night, or they arrested a new suspect vindicating Castle in the process._ Kate shakes her head.

"Well, there has been a new development."

"I'll say there was. I knew he did it!" Esposito barks out from his desk, not caring who hears.

Ryan just hangs his head. Kate looks at him with concern but he doesn't say anything more. Ryan looks like he's watching Superman die of Kryptonite poisoning. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was starting to cry.

"What my suddenly somber partner is trying to say now is that last night, after Castle met with his lawyer, he confessed to killing your boyfriend in the alley behind the pub," Esposito cheerfully says.

Her breath whooshes from her lungs as if she's been sucker punched. She tries to stand, falls back into her chair in an unsteady sprawl.

"What?" is all she can get out of her mouth.

"Yup, it's true. He had a long talk with his attorney last night and then this morning he was transferred to Central Booking. From there it's just the formality of a quick appearance in front of a judge and then on to a prison of his choice," Espo said.

"You know, Espo, sometimes you can be a real dick!"

"Truth hurts, don't it, Beckett?"

Kate tunes him out while giving him a hostile look and gathers up her stuff. She blows right past him and Ryan, heading for the elevator.

"Beckett, where are you going?" Ryan asks as she repeatedly stabs the down button for the elevator.

"I'm going to save my partner."

Xx

In the courtroom, Martha and Alexis are sitting in the row directly behind Rick's attorney. Then Rick is escorted out from the holding cell in the courthouse to the defense table. Not once does he look back at either of them. He sits there silent and impassive, staring at the judge's empty chair. Within minutes the court is called to order. The bailiff announces the judge and he takes his seat behind the bench.

"Good morning, all. We're here in the matter of the State of New York versus Richard Castle. It is my understanding that Mr. Castle has decided to change his plea from innocent to guilty?" the judge asks, looking directly at Rick.

"I have, Your Honor."

"Mr. Bello?' The judge addresses the prosecutor.

"The State has no objection, Your honor." Hell no, there's no objection. ADA Bello had not been looking forward to prosecuting a celebrity as popular as Richard Castle. His legal team made OJ's 'dream team' look like rank amateurs, and it didn't take much effort to imagine a promising legal career dying a miserable death on national TV.

Kate hears the statement the second she steps inside the courtroom. She can't believe her ears - there is no way he did this and she knows it. But why is he taking the fall for something he didn't do? She moves slowly up to the third row on the defendant's side and takes a seat. She watches the proceedings as they unfold in front of her, the prosecutor trying to make a name for himself with a slam dunk conviction of a high-profile suspect, and a defense attorney caught between a system that has already failed and a client determined to take the fall for something he didn't do.

The judge is not going to move quickly to sentence a suspect in a murder case who admitted guilt under somewhat questionable circumstances, so he needs to hear it straight from the accused. Again.

"Mr. Castle, it is my understanding that you wish to plead guilty for the murder of Doctor Joshua Davidson?"

The judge looks directly at Rick. This will be final.

"Yes, Your Honor. I'm the one who took…"

"… Objection!" Marty Jones shouts.

"Mr. Jones," says the judge severely, "you had better have a damn good reason for interrupting your client."

"I do, Your Honor. I'll explain to you why right now, with your permission?"

Marty whispers to Rick to sit back down in the chair, and he does. The judge nods for Marty to continue.

Kate, who had just stepped in and sat down less than thirty seconds ago, was startled when Marty screamed out his objection. But she waits to see how this plays out.

"Your Honor, I'm not sure that Mr. Castle was in his right mind when he made his statement a moment ago. What my client told me last night was that he was brutally attacked by doctor Davidson in the bar. What happened was an act of self-defense. Doctor Davidson assaulted my client - he was only protecting himself when he struck back. And it would also seem clear to me, Your Honor, that Mr. Castle was denied medical treatment when he was placed under arrest and even during his interrogation. Since the police delayed an unreasonable interval before availing my client of his right to counsel, I was only given this case less than twenty hours ago - I have not made my initial discovery concerning my client's defense."

The Judge looks at the prosecution's table and summons the assistant district attorney to the bench.

"Mr. Bello, from here it looks like the accused has been denied medical care while he has been in custody of the NYPD. He will have a doctor come to visit him in holding here. In the meantime, we will give the defense time to gather facts for this case for their defense. You will personally see to it that a proper discovery process is completed without delay.

"What I think happened here is that the NYPD was biased against Mr. Castle. Look at the condition of the man! He has blood on the side of his face that no one bothered to clean off before he came to court."

"Your honor, the team that arrested him should have seen to his well-being," the ADA states, not realizing that he has just opened Pandora's box.

The judge reads the arrest report and looks directly at the prosecutor.

"Mr. Bello, the 12th Precinct homicide squad are responsible for arresting Mr. Castle, is that correct?"

"That's right, Your Honor. Why is this an issue?"

"Counselor, are you aware that Mr. Castle has been shadowing Detective Beckett of the 12th Precinct for the past two and a half years? Don't you think that this is an issue? This team should not even be investigating this case."

The ADA turns towards the gallery and his eyes automatically go to detectives Beckett and Esposito. He realizes the mistake once he sees Esposito's head drop in shame. Beckett, on the other hand, keeps her eyes locked with his, not knowing what to say.

The judge needs time to sort this out.

"Mr. Castle, you are hereby remanded to the State of New York's correctional medical facility within this building. Here you will be checked out medically. Place the prisoner back into his holding cell. This case is adjourned for forty-eight hours. Mr. Castle, I'm afraid this is where you'll be for these forty-eight hours. Will this give you enough time to gather your facts, Mr. Jones?" the judge asks.

"It will, Your Honor," Marty replies.

"Very well. This court is in recess."

Kate is up out of her seat once her mind catches up with what just happened. She's quick to get to Martha and Alexis. As Rick is being moved back to his temporary holding cell in the courthouse, he sees Kate move into Martha for a hug to comfort her. Rick slows his walk watching them embrace.

After consoling Martha, Kate turns to Alexis, who is sobbing uncontrollably. She pulls her into a tight hug and that's when it hits her. She takes a slow inhale and knows for sure that the perfume Alexis was wearing is an exact match for the perfume that was found lingering on Josh's clothing. She tears herself from the hug and turns toward where Rick is being escorted back to the holding cells.

The bailiff escorts Rick the remaining steps to the holding area, disappearing out of her sight….


	8. Chapter 8

Alexis steps back from Detective Beckett after giving her a comforting hug and notices the worry creeping into her expression. Beckett knows something is wrong.

"Alexis, may I ask the name of the perfume you are wearing?" Kate asks.

 _Shit_ thinks Alexis. _I know that this question she's asking is a thinly disguised informal interrogation and if I lie, I'll just make the situation worse. Damn. I can't answer her. She can't think of anything to say without implicating herself. I'll just do what Dad does when I catch him in a lie – deflect!_

"Detective Beckett, I don't really remember what the name of it is. It was something my grams had lying around and I just spritzed some of it on."

"Okay. Hey, can I see your hands?" Kate asks hoping Alexis will relent.

"Why, detective?" Alexis gives Kate her hand.

"I just have a hunch. We've found out that someone who was at the crime scene was wearing a shade of nail polish that looks a lot like yours," Kate says as she releases Alexis' hand.

 _Damn, could this go any worse?_ Alexis thinks to herself. _  
_  
Kate watches as her former partner is led out of the courtroom to be transported back to the holding area in the courthouse.

"Your Honor, can I make a simple request?"

The judge, who had wanted to head back to his chambers before the next case, decided to humor the detective.

"Detective Beckett, you have thirty seconds. So make it quick."

"Yes, Your Honor. Would it be possible to have Mr. Castle be held right here for the next ten minutes?

"May I ask why detective?"

"I just need to ask him some questions about his motive. It won't take that long. Would that be alright?"

"Proceed, detective."

Kate hurried with her questions for Alexis. Alexis turns towards her, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Alexis, do you really want to know what I think?" Kate says as she grabs the younger woman's shoulders and holds onto her tight.

Alexis knows that this is going to be a no-win situation so she just shakes her head.

"Well, listen. I'm going to tell you what I've figured out already. I'm sure that your father was not himself when Josh came into the pub. But I think you already knew that. You have been keeping an eye on your dad, haven't you?"

"Detective, my father did not kill your boyfriend," Alexis says, her voice laced with venom.

"Then why don't you tell me what happened that night? It seems that you might have some insight that we don't know about." Kate prompted.

"I do and I will. I was on my way to the 12th precinct to see dad and was just about to cross the street to enter the precinct when I noticed him coming out of the lobby and down the steps. He looked defeated. He stopped, looked left, looked right, and then he turned left and walked away from the precinct. Staying about twenty-five feet back on the other side the street, trying not to be seen, I followed him to Reilly's. Not less than twenty minutes later your boyfriend entered the pub. I know that they hated each other. And I know that dad has been indulging in alcohol more often than not, and he would have been half in the bag by the time your boyfriend got to the pub. My assumption was correct. Dad punched Josh in the nose and broke it. Fifteen minutes later I came into the bar and noticed that both my dad and your boyfriend were missing. Having not seen them come out the front door, that only left one door for them to leave by. That's when I heard the screaming in the alley behind the pub. Apparently, your boyfriend got a couple of good shots into my father's ribs and head before Dad knocked out two of his teeth. When my father turned and left, your boyfriend yelled for him to 'come back to settle it once and for all' as he put it, but my father just kept walking. When I came out of the bar and into the alley, I noticed that Josh was lying on the cobblestone pavement. He had blood dripping down his chin and his lip was starting to get a lot more swollen along with his left eye. He asked me what I was looking at when I saw him lying on the ground. I told him I was looking at nothing. That's when he grabbed my ankle, and I fell onto his chest, bounced off him and on to the cobblestone alley next to him. Having no other course of action to follow, I kicked him swiftly in his family jewels. After that, I got up and left the alley, which is probably how my fingernail polish got on to his body. So, there you have it, detective. When I left the alley, Doctor Joshua Davidson was very much alive."

"Alexis, I need you to sit down right over there and don't move a muscle," Kate demands as she points to the front row of the spectator's seats.

Kate walks over to where Castle was being held and stops right in front of him; the bailiff won't let her get closer than a foot between them.

"Detective Beckett," Rick says, always being the courteous gentleman he was raised to be.

"Rick, I am going to ask you one question and one question only." Kate waits until she has his attention. When he looks directly at her she continues.

"Rick, am I correct in assuming that you are taking the blame for Alexis for Josh's murder?"

The second the question comes out of her mouth she has her answer. His head drops down and he starts to shake.

"Rick?" Then her cell phone vibrates in her pocket at the worst time imaginable.

Digging for her cell she pulls it out of her pocket to view the screen. It's from Lanie. Knowing that she could decline the call, she accepts it instead. Taking a step back from Rick, she answers.

"Lanie?"

"Kate, there's something that I've found that might be important. It seems that there is more to the evidence then we had first thought. How soon can you get here?"

"Can this wait, Lanie? I'm in the middle of something right now," Kate pleads.

"Not really. There's something going on here that might jeopardize your case."

Kate takes one look at Castle and sees the intrigue in his features from her half-sided phone call. She needs to let him be seen by a doctor. Realizing that maybe it would be better if they talked later, she tells him, "Rick, we still need to talk. You need to be checked out by a doctor and I need to go to the morgue. I will be back."

All he does is nod. Kate turns away from him and in long strides she reaches Alexis, quickly pulling her to her feet.

"Detective Beckett?" Alexis says a little worriedly almost losing her balance.

"Alexis, you're coming with me. I have some evidence that I need to take a look at and I do not want you conversing with your father until I have seen it. He will be checked out by the medical staff here and will be in holding until Monday morning at 9 o'clock."

"Detective, you do know it's against my constitutional right to be held against my will."

"I am not in any way violating your constitutional rights Alexis. What I'm doing is taking my friend out for a cup of coffee down the block. See? No violation of any constitutional right. Now let's go."

Even though Castle would be in holding Kate does not want Rick to collaborate his story with his daughter, just in case. They bid farewell to Martha and Kate promises Martha that she'll have her granddaughter back to her within the hour.

By the time they get to the morgue, Lanie has the pipe set out on a collection table. Standing nearby is a CSU technician; Kate wonders why he is here.

"Detective Beckett, I see you returned and you've brought a friend with you," Lanie says.

"I did. So, tell me, Lanie, what did you find?"

"Kate, it seems that this pipe has a life of its own. When I first took it into evidence, I had CSU run the bloody fingerprint I found on the end of the pipe. Now that came back as a ninety-eight percent match to Richard Castle. But after further reviewing the pipe, the CSU tech here tells me that there are more than one set of fingerprints on the pipe. You're not gonna believe what he found."

Kate isn't understanding what she means. Now she's going to have to explain it to her.

"Okay, let's say that Castle picked up the pipe. He would then leave his fingerprints on said pipe. Where I found the pipe, it was not far from Josh's body on the ground. I bagged it and leaned it up against a wall for CSU to process later. That's when Mr. Chen here came down with the pipe and told me that there was something off with the prints themselves."

"Okay Lanie, so what is it?" Kate asks.

CSU Tech Chen walks up to Kate.

"Detective Beckett, this pipe has three sets of prints on it, and DNA from three different people as well. Now I'm not sure who you suspect for this crime, but whoever left their DNA on this pipe are all related."

"There is no way to tell by the fingerprints how hard the pipe was swung. It just gives us the fact that somebody handled the murder weapon. What I mean to say is, someone could walk along, pick up the pipe, and move it to a different location, as well as grip it hard and swing it like a baseball bat. There is no way to tell the force that was used to swing the pipe. But then again, there are complications with the DNA that we found on this pipe. After the collection of the DNA samples, we found Mr. Castle's DNA, his daughter's DNA, and yet still a third sample of DNA that matches that of Mr. Castle and his daughter. But we came up against a roadblock trying to figure out who this third person was."

"So what you're trying to tell me is that there are three different DNA samples and you can only identify two of them. Is that right?"

"That would be correct, Detective. The third sample of DNA is not in the system, and the fingerprints don't come up on any database we've searched."

"That's impossible. There's no way a set of prints can't be found in any system," Kate says heatedly.

Kate turns to look to Lanie for help. All she can do is shrug their shoulders because she can't believe it either.

The CSU Tech makes one more comment about the evidence as he packs up to leave.

"Detective, the DNA match is a familial match. I'm not a detective, but whoever killed this man was related to your suspect, and his daughter. If that's all, I'm going to log the evidence back into storage."

Neither Kate nor Lanie has any objection so the tech takes the pipe, places it back in the evidence bag, and walks back to storage.

"Lanie, what the hell's going on?"

"Sweetie, I'm not sure. But as Chen said, you have three people who handled that pipe and they're all related. You just don't know how."

Lanie and Kate both turn and look directly at Alexis. If they had heat vision she would be melted in a pile of goo by now.

"What! All I did was move the pipe away from Josh's body. That's why the tech had found it far from his body in the first place I swear that's all I ever did. I never beat him with it if that's what you're thinking."

"Kate there's no way that Alexis could have done the damage that resulted in Josh's death. No, whoever did this was at least 6' 4. And very very powerful."

"That's just it Lanie, Rick is that tall and he can be that powerful."

Noticing the time Kate needed to get Alexis back to the loft.

"Lanie, can you email me the results from the DNA and prints? I'll look it over after I take Alexis back home."

"No problem Kate. They'll be there by the time you get back to the precinct."

By the time Kate and Alexis had got back to her car, Alexis had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.


	9. Chapter 9

Knowing about your past can sometimes define your future. It's what you do about that future that determines the path you take in your life. But that path is not necessarily the best way to proceed. Jackson Hunt was a living example of that aphorism. No matter where he had been, no matter how many times he'd seen injustice at the hands of others, he would always be there, to be the one to watch over his family. Even with his last breath, he would defend them against any enemy.

When he was in the States, New York City was his first stop before anything else. It's the one thing that he never failed to do, which is why he is still in New York City now. The last operation he was on was questionable, to say the least. The Division Chief in Germany had information on a very cruel and heartless arms dealer. This man would stop at nothing to sell his wares. Hunt was a hard, cynical man, but he was shocked that this smuggler had ties to someone directly in New York City. Most of the people who offer this type of service don't usually leave their home country for fear of being exposed to an enemy. Staying in familiar surroundings keeps them safe, and they can stay protected from any outside threat.

He had taken all of the information sent to him by the Division Chief and his sources from somewhere deep within the agency and collated it into a pattern. What followed was the trail of dead bodies this man left in his wake. That was until this arms dealer took Hunt's lack of response for apathy one night.

Hunt received word that one of his good, trusted friends (which in his field of work was a rare occurrence) had been eliminated by having his throat slit. His body was also cut up into pieces so small and unrecognizable that the coroner needed to transport the remains to the morgue in plastic zip bags. That was the proverbial last straw. Hunt was assured that this arms dealer was the only one responsible.

There was no other way to solve this problem without being compromised. Hunt knew the dealer's routine, even though the dealer was not staying in the city that long. From his intel, his target would be accessible for a small window of opportunity. His plan was to take this man out from a distance. Killing someone in this way had a near certain probability of success. He was all set to implement the op when he read the coroner's report and had a change of mind. He would repay the death of his friend up close and personal.

Xx

Since he had changed his plans, he decides to look in on his son. Martha and Richard never knew that he was doing this because in his mind it was just easier to observe from the shadows. He recently found out, through people he trusted who knew his son and granddaughter, that in addition to Richard, Alexis, and Martha, he had acquired one more addition to his circle of protection. Katherine Beckett.

Beckett was the first person to have his son's heart for quite some time now. Kate Beckett would never admit it out loud, but he could tell immediately just by his casual observances. He noticed the way that she hung on his every word. Even though she's dating a heart surgeon right now, he can tell that her heart is not in it - which is why he'd been observing both of them together at 55th Street and Eleventh. He has to admit his son has balls. Had it been him in the same situation he didn't think he could pull off such a gutsy move. But it was what happened after the incident that confirmed his suspicions. The way they held onto each other after the bomb should have detonated told him that there was more to what they had than even they knew.

Sometimes there are forces in nature that make your job a lot easier. Today is one of those days. He watches as they return to the precinct, watches as the Homeland Security agent left in his unmarked car, and then forty minutes later watches his son walk out of the precinct looking defeated. He can tell that Richard is not right just by the way he takes in his surroundings. He looks left, and then right, with his head hung low. It was only after Hunt sees his son walk away that he notices Alexis keeping pace with her dad on the other side of the street. He moves quickly to follow behind both of them. A couple of blocks down the street, Alexis slips into a coffee shop across the street while his son goes into the pub. He watches the front door and that's when things get a little bit sticky. Kate's doctor squeeze comes sauntering down the street and enters the same pub.

Hunt grimaces. _Nothing good is going to come from this._ He is not sure if the doctor is purposely looking for Richard, or if it's just by coincidence that he happened upon the same pub as his son.

Whatever the case may be, Hunt moves to the rooftop that covers the alley in the back. He watches and waits. After about an hour, his son is pushed out the back door of the pub by the doctor. He can tell that in Richard's condition, he won't be able to put up much of a fight against the doctor, though even with his partial training, Richard still might be able to do some damage. The men dance around each other, neither wanting to throw the first punch. It was only when the doctor starts hurling out obscenities against Kate that his son retaliates. His son throws wild punches at his opponent and it's only by sheer luck on his son's part or stupid moves by the doctor that his punches actually connect with their target. That's not to say that the doctor doesn't get his hits in either.

But when the fight is over, ten minutes later, Rick stumbles out of the alley and on to the street. Deciding that it's time to go, Hunt starts moving from his perch on the rooftop but stops when he notices that the back door of the pub has slowly creaked open again. What he sees is his granddaughter, looking for some sign of her now departed father. As she finds none, comments are exchanged between herself and the good doctor. What happens next pisses Hunt off to no end. The doctor stupidly makes the mistake of knocking his granddaughter to the ground. Being a worthy descendant of the man known as Nemesis, the spunky young woman kicks him swiftly between the legs. By that time the doctor has completely lost his temper. Recovering from the kick to his groin he scrambles to his feet, grabs Alexis by the shoulders and jerks her to her feet, lifting her up with him. Without warning, he slaps her across the face with his open palm, so hard that she falls back to the ground with a sickening crack. Hunt is already in motion, leaving the rooftop and heading for the staircase that spills out right into the alley. By the time he makes it down two floors to the alley, Alexis is being kicked repeatedly in the stomach and chest area by the doctor's boot. Then he rolls her onto her back and slides his hand up under the skirt of her school uniform.

Jackson Hunt's rage goes from incandescent to thermonuclear in a fraction of a second. He catches Josh by surprise, grabbing his neck and putting him into a full Nelson hold.

Anticipating the doctor's move to free himself, he takes two steps forward, slamming his opponent's head and chest into the brick façade repeatedly. By the time he turns around to tend to his granddaughter, she has disappeared. Turning back to his adversary, he releases the hold he has him in. Josh falls to the ground in a heap, landing on his back. Deciding that his punishment would be an eye for an eye, Hunt stomps on the doctor's chest, further crushing his ribcage. Rage fills his mind by this point and he never knows what happens next.

He notices the short piece of pipe lying on the ground under the dumpster. He reaches for it as he hears the doctor groaning. The second Hunt turns back, he swings down on the doctor's head. The first swing crushes his cheekbone, collapsing his eye socket. Five swings later, Hunt realizes just a little too late the amount of damage he's delivered. He drops the pipe and turns away, heading for the street, letting the doctor realize his last minutes on earth will be over soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Marty Jones knows Rick is covering for someone. He has an idea who it is. The list of people that Rick would willingly go to prison for is vanishingly small, his mother and daughter for certain. Perhaps another one or two more, but if Rick is determined to sacrifice himself, what arguments can Marty offer? That's why he is at his office on a Sunday at eight pm going over the discovery that the DA sent over. There has to be something that will dissuade his client from taking the blame for a murder he didn't commit.

Nothing is the way it should be. All the evidence so far points to Rick, but he's sure that there is something that he's missing. He might have burned a bridge with the lead detective, but he needs to talk to her. He looks up the contact information for Detective Beckett. Since she was the arresting officer, he has the means to contact her through her personal phone number. He picks up his office phone and dials her number.

Kate sees the number flash on her cellphone screen and hesitates to answer it. She doesn't know who it is, nor does she care. She has important things to take care of, and answering a call from a telemarketer is not one of them. She lets it go to voicemail. No sooner does the call pick up on voicemail then the same number flashes on the screen again. So, it's either somebody being very stupid, or someone really needs to talk to her, so she answers this time.

"Beckett," she answers in her professional tone.

"Detective, it's Marty Jones. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about my client's case?"

"I'm not too sure that this is a good idea, Mr. Jones. You do know that I am not allowed to talk to you about the case we have against your client. This is highly unorthodox. And besides, you called me out in front of my colleagues about the way we did not offer medical aid to your client."

"On the contrary, Detective, the judge made that assumption of his own accord. He's the one who noticed Mr. Castle's bloody face and neck at the DA's comment. The one at fault here is the district attorney. Agreed?"

Kate knows he's right, but that doesn't mean she has to talk about his client's defense with him.

"Mr. Jones, while that might be the truth, I still can't divulge any case related information to you there…."

Marty cuts off the detective with one sentence.

"What if I think he's innocent?"

That stops Kate instantly. Composing herself, she says, "Go on counselor, I'm listening."

"As I said, Detective, I'm convinced that Rick is innocent. Something doesn't add up and I can't quite put my finger on it. When we talked in your precinct last night, he avoided showing me his hands and talked directly about his involvement in doctor Davidson's murder. That raised my suspicions. He simply told me, 'I did it and I need to be brought to justice.'"

"Mr. Jones, I agree with you and that's your job, trying to prove his innocence. However I think he is covering for somebody, but I am not at liberty to say whom I suspect just now."

"Detective, I'm not blind. I noticed the way you talked to his daughter in the courtroom. You suspect something and so do I."

"That's beside the fact. I can't talk to you about this case, but I will be investigating more as time goes on. I will keep in touch."

She feels he wasn't pumping her for information that aggressively. So, he must have reasons of his own about why he feels Rick is innocent. But now she has to go and talk with the boys. There has to be something that they missed at the crime scene. And if it takes the rest of the day, she will find it.

Xx

He's got to give his son credit. The detective is determined and he'll give her that. He retreated back to the rooftop of the bar where it all happened just about twenty-four hours ago. He knew that they would be back at some point.

When he hears the door creaking open, he knows who it is. He cautiously peers over the roof's edge to see the two male detectives and her. If she's smart enough she'll put it together. What he needs for her to see is that this was never about his son's revenge - it was self-defense.

The detectives start scouring the alley and he watches as they collect small pieces of evidence that they missed in their prior visits. He sees her body stiffen when she puts it together. Her back is to the door that he entered from. She spins quickly, realizing that the door is ajar. He hopes she takes the bait. She cautiously walks forward towards the door with her Glock drawn and he watches as she pries open the door.

"Beckett, do you want us to come with you?" Ryan asks.

"No, Ryan, just keep collecting whatever evidence you can find at the scene. I have a hunch that I want to check out."

He watches as she walks through the door and starts to climb the stairs. He quickly takes up a position behind the roof access enclosure just waiting for the right moment.

Xx

She knows something isn't right. She's had the feeling that someone has been watching her most of the day. Very quietly she opens the roof access door with one hand, leading with her Glock in the other. The second she is clear of the door, she lets out the breath she'd been holding. There's nothing out of the ordinary to cause her to feel the way that she's feeling. Maybe she's just making something out of nothing. Maybe she's just tired. Then it all goes to shit.

"Not one move - don't even think about breathing. Just stand there," says a voice behind her.

She hears the safety of a Sig Sauer P229 being thumbed off. The next thing she feels is the barrel of that Sig pressed against the base of her skull.

"What do you want?" she asks as she tries to turn her head and catch a glimpse of her assailant.

"What part of 'not one move' don't you understand?" Hunt says a little louder while proving his point by pressing the Sig harder into her skull.

Beckett freezes and turns her head to face forward again. He continues.

"Detective, the murder case that you're working, I have a feeling that you'll want to stop investigating."

"Why on earth would I do that? Let a killer go free?"

"So you really still think that your partner did this? Even though he admitted his guilt, misguided as it was."

"You know what? I'm not sure what to think anymore. What I find hard to believe is that he would do something like this. He's not the type."

"Detective, let me tell you a story. For years now there has been one person who has and who will do anything to keep the people he cares about safe. This person would even consider murder if need be to keep them safe."

"Who is this person? How can I get them in cuffs?" Kate wonders out loud.

"Detective, that'll never happen. This person is above the law as you know it. He's untouchable and needs to stay that way."

"Whoa, no, I don't think that's going to work here. A man was murdered and someone has to be held accountable."

"Even if that man was a rapist and a known violent felon? That's right, Dr. Davidson was a felon. He went to great lengths to hide his past, but he was a felon. Did it ever occur to you why he took so many trips out of the country? And why he worked specifically in an OR and never talked with patients or their families? I'll tell you one thing - his bedside manner needed a lot of work. His real name was Jerry Coleman. He was wanted for murder, domestic violence, fraud, and embezzlement in more than one state. But that's not why he's dead now. He made the mistake of attempting to rape a seventeen-year-old girl the other night and that, Detective, will never happen on my watch.

Kate just stands there, thinking about what this man has just said. There is no way that what she's thinking could be the truth. Deciding to play out a hunch, she starts to turn. For some strange reason, she knows that the man won't fire at the back of her skull. She slowly turns to face him and sees a tall gray-haired man with eyes that remind her of someone she knows. He has a goatee and he stands about six feet four inches tall. He's dressed in all black. She guesses him to be in about his early to mid-sixties. The Sig P229 that he is holding lowers to his side where he puts it in a combat holster attached to his thigh.

"Detective Kate Beckett," Kate offers in greeting with her hand extended for a handshake.

Hunt takes her hand and shakes it along with giving her his name.

"Jackson Hunt. Nice to finally meet you, Detective."

"Wait, finally?" Kate asks suspiciously.

"You have a relationship with someone I care about. So, by association, you're in the circle as well."

"Tell me about this seventeen-year-old girl, she wouldn't happen to have red hair, would she?"

"Very perceptive, Detective. But you're right. It seems that our mutual favorite redhead was watching out for her old man when she encountered Dr. McDreamy and got in a little too deep. The good doctor had decided to take his pound of flesh out on my son's daughter."

"Wait, you're Castle's father?"

"Beautiful and smart. Yes, I am Rick's father. Although he and Alexis don't know this particular fact. And they never will," he adds sadly.

"So tell me, why do you think that I won't arrest you for Josh Davidson's murder?"

"It's simple, Detective. You can't touch me. It's just the way it's going to have to be. You're going to have to sweep it under the rug and eventually you will come up with dead end after dead end, never finding the right clue to solve this case. But I will give you some closure in the good doctor's death."

Hunt takes Kate's index finger and scrapes her fingernail alongside his cheek. He then takes out a blue nitrile rubber glove and places it on her hand, protecting the DNA sample under her fingernail.

"Detective, I am sure that you will be able to solve who actually killed Dr. Davidson. The DNA sample that I just gave you is admissible and will confirm that I was the one who was last with Davidson before he passed away. My reasons are my own, but no one gets away with trying to rape my granddaughter and continues breathing."

"You just admitted to murder. What makes you think I can't arrest you for the crime?"

"Detective, I might be old, but I have been in the game for quite a long time. I work for a certain three letter agency that would protect one of their assets till the end of time. I am sorry that what happened here had to happen at my hand, but you'll never touch me for it. So just go with the knowledge that you have found your murderer, but the case will always remain open. This will free my son and take all suspicion off my granddaughter as well. Now, Detective, off you go. As long as you don't try to hinder me in any way, you stay in the circle; if you try to investigate me, our relationship will no longer be cordial.

"Not so fast, Mr. Hunt. There's still the matter of…" Kate turns quickly when she hears the rooftop door creak open. What she sees is Ryan and Espo coming out onto the roof.

Knowing now that she has her partners to back her up, she spins back to where Hunt was standing, ready to apprehend him. The only problem is that he's not there. In the split second it took her to see who was coming out of the rooftop access door, he disappeared into thin air.

"Beckett, what's going on?" Ryan asks.

"Yeah, Beckett if we didn't know any better, we think that you were sticking us with all the work downstairs," Esposito added.

"Guys, he was right here a second ago - didn't you see him?"

"See who, Beckett? There was nobody here but you."

Kate rushes behind the rooftop air conditioning unit, the roof access door, and the edge of the roof only to find nothing. No trace of Jackson Hunt anywhere.

"Guys, I swear he was right here a second ago."

"Who?" they both ask in unison.

"Beckett, what's up with the blue glove on your right hand?" Espo asks.

"Oh shit, that's right! I've got his DNA. Listen, guys, we need to get back to the lab to get this analyzed and then we can exonerate Castle."

"Wait a sec, you have evidence, actual DNA evidence under your glove that will clear Castle?" Ryan says a little too happily.

"I do. We need to get back to the lab now."

Kate gives one last look around the rooftop to try and find Hunt. Nothing. The man's a ghost.

He watches from the opposite rooftop as they make their way back into the stairway that leads down to the first floor. Knowing that they're content with the DNA sample he gave them, he heads back to the courthouse to wait them out.

 **Author's Notes: We who are writing this for you would like to wish everyone who celebrates it a very Merry Christmas. And for everyone else who celebrates in some form or another, please enjoy the day and your families.**

 **Pegship, Perfgen & P2P.**


	11. Chapter 11

Marty Jones was an attorney who, at times, practiced law by the seat of his pants. It's not to say he had his reserved times when he did practice law with people who needed him to be that way, but his current client would probably accept what he was about to do next. It was a bit 'out of the box' so to speak.

He had information that would likely clear his client. But the problem was in order to use it he needed to get the judge to vacate his client's admission of guilt. Getting the judge to agree to his client changing plea for the second time in as many days might be a bit of a stretch. That's why he found himself in the judge's chambers early on a Monday morning.

"Mr. Jones, I'm not necessarily convinced that this is in your client's best interest. Does he even know that you're here talking to me about changing his plea from guilty to not guilty?"

"Judge Spencer, it's not the matter of my client knowing what I'm doing, because he really is innocent. I can't get into the specifics right now, but without the evidence I need, I can't mount the defense my client is entitled to. I have certain tests that I want to perform on the murder weapon that would clear him. But in order for me to move forward, I need to change his plea from guilty to not guilty. I know the district attorney will not be happy with what I'm about to do, but it needs to be done," Marty pleads.

"Counselor, what I need are the parameters of this test that you plan on doing on the murder weapon. What I need is to be told exactly what you will be doing," the judge said.

"Your Honor, it's a simple process, basically a history lesson involving the murder weapon. A certain company has come forward with procedures to determine where the murder weapon was physically located at various times, what was being done with it, and who had contact with the murder weapon last, first, and during the crime. They have created a three-dimensional story that clearly shows who handled the weapon and when. Then everything is brought back by NYPD's CSU technicians and compiled. From that, they can make an animation that shows them when the weapon was used and by whom. In order for this to work, I need to have access to the OCME Department, along with the crime scene unit technicians. But I don't know if you're agreeable to letting them work with the defense, sir."

"Mr. Jones, I will take this into consideration. As of right now, the plea he initially entered stands. Once I speak with the district attorney, I'll be able to give you my answer. Until then, go ahead and run your test."

"Thank you, Judge Spencer."

Xx

Lanie just stood there. If it wasn't for the look she was getting from her assistant she'd think that this was all a big joke. It wasn't. She just ended a call with Rick Castle's attorney. And what he was suggesting was teetering on what is found in Never Never Land. He seemed to have heard of the company that they had been working closely with, to gather crime scene information and produce a realistic 3D explanation of what actually happened at a crime scene. She hung up the phone, then turned to see CSU technician Chen walking directly toward her at a fast pace. And she could automatically tell by the look on Chen's face that he was not happy at all.

"Can you believe this is happening?" Chen said as he walked up to Lanie.

"No, I can't. But I do have an issue with this. We can't be working for this defense attorney."

Chen pulled an envelope from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Lanie. She opened the letter and scanned the content, her face turning redder and redder as she read. Finishing the letter, she said,

"This is bullshit! I'm not going to be a part of this. I'm going to call Beckett!"

Before Lanie could reach for the phone she heard a voice from behind her.

"Don't bother calling her, because she's right behind you."

Lanie spun in place and gave Kate a look. She was pissed at the fact that she had to deal with this B.S. and was going to let Kate know it.

"Like I said, Kate, I'm not going to be a part of this. The company that designed this program is giving it to us to use as a tool to solve murders or any other crime for that matter. It's not meant to be given to defense attorneys to save their clients."

"Lanie, this is Rick we're talking about. And I know you, you want to know the truth no matter what the outcome."

"You're right, I do. But not in this case. This technology we have isn't proven yet."

"Then you going to have to tell me how it works. Because whether you like it or not Marty Jones will be here in less than half an hour."

Lanie hated that this was all prearranged and she had no say in whatever happened next. But she would tell Kate about the process of how the program works.

"All right, here's how it works. Let's say that you're at a crime scene and somebody was shot. You know that if the body was shot where the crime occurred there would be blood spatter, gunshot residue, and other obvious evidence. Prior to this program coming out, we could only collect the evidence as we see it. In other words, we can't tell how old the samples were when we collected them. There was nothing to determine the age of blood spatter resulting from a gunshot. We can only collect a sample and process it that way."

"Okay, this I understand."

"Now here's where it gets interesting. Since I only know the basics of the program, I'm going to let CSU Chen explain it to you further."

Chen stepped out from behind Lanie and stood beside her.

"Detective Beckett, what we are able to do with this program now is collect different blood spatter samples from the crime scene. With this evidence, we can determine everything about the person who either A, caused them or B, was left by them."

"We know that in this particular case, Mr. Castle had been beaten inside the bar. We can tell exactly what time it was when he was beaten, who beat him, and other assorted information."

"Okay, now that I know how the program works, how is this going to help Rick?" Kate asked, and Lanie saw her friend give her an eye roll.

"That's where the magic comes in, Detective. In this case, we have different areas to collect evidence from - inside the bar, in the alley, and leading to and from the crime scene. We can collect blood spatter samples, hair fibers, and skin samples correlating them and give a specific time frame of what happened. Then using a 3D image from the start of the crime to the end we can tell what happened with exact certainty. I might add that this is all time-consuming work. Collecting the samples is the easy side of it; building a 3D image from start to finish is hard, time-consuming work."

"Well then, let's get started," Kate suggested.

Xx

Marty Jones knew he was playing with fire. While the judge might have agreed for him to get his evidence, he might have been going about it a little unfairly. He only wanted to find out the truth, and if the OCME and the NYPD had cutting edge technology, why couldn't he use them to his advantage to clear his client? The elevator to the OCME level came to a stop on the bottom floor and he stepped out. What he saw was three people trying to work around a very small table. They were so immersed in what they were doing that he announced himself from where he stood.

"Detective Beckett, I was wondering if I could have a minute to speak with you."

Kate, being involved in entering information into the program, stopped and turned to see who had called out her name.

"Good morning, Mr. Jones. As you can see, I'm right in the middle of something, but if you give me a second, we'll talk."

Marty stood and watched as she finished up doing what she was doing. He had heard of the program but he had never seen firsthand what it could do. He watched as the M.E. and Detective Beckett walked over towards where he was standing.

"Counselor, I think we might be better suited having this conversation in my office if you don't mind," Lanie said.

All three moved towards the office and sat around Lanie's conference table.

"Mr. Jones, it seems that you have manipulated the system to work to your advantage. And while I know why you're doing it, I don't have to like it," Lanie stated.

"Doctor, if I can prove my client's innocence, and the technology exists to do just that, you've got to believe that I'm going to do whatever I can in my power to make sure that this is used correctly," Marty countered.

"Well, Mr. Jones, it seems that you were right. Your client did not murder Joshua Davidson," Kate said.

Marty's eyes lit up like a kid receiving a Christmas present in July. He knew now that there was no way the judge would deny an innocent plea now. But there is one thing that he needed to know.

"Detective, are you at liberty to tell me who actually committed the crime? I know that my client was covering for his daughter because it was written all over his face, and I'm pretty sure that you knew it as well. But what I mean is will I be defending Alexis Castle in any future legal proceedings?"

"I can assure you that the evidence we have collected, and the animation that we have created for the judge to see, clears your current client and any future Castle for this crime."

"Are you able to give me any hints at who could have done this?" Marty asked hopefully.

"Mr. Jones, I'm afraid that is privileged information that you are not entitled to. As it stands right now, your client is in the clear and it's my job to investigate who has actually committed this crime. So now that you have what you came for, it was nice working with you, Mr. Jones," Kate said as she extended her hand for a friendly handshake.

Marty Jones knew when not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He shook the detective's hand and leaves the morgue.

"So Kate, why didn't you tell him who actually committed the crime?"

"Lanie, it's simple. I don't have a clue. Do you remember the sample I gave you earlier of the DNA I recovered from the scene?"

"I do. Why?"

"Well, that DNA was the DNA from the man who actually killed Josh. But it does me no good because getting any information on that sample DNA was useless. I came up against a brick wall after brick wall. The DNA sample led me to a site that diverted me to a maze of never-ending government BS. So, I'm no closer to finding out who actually killed Josh. The person who did provide the sample told me that it would be dead end after dead end and I'm beginning to believe that. So, I think this case will end up being cold. Montgomery won't invest any more time or keep us spinning our wheels on it.

"Not to be morbid or anything, but when are you going to tell him?"

"Tell who what?"

"Oh, no you don't! You have nothing holding you back now. What you need to do is live your life - you do know that you almost died three times last week, right? Take a chance, Kate. You only live life once." With that said Lanie turned around and started cleaning up from their hours of work earlier. Maybe now she could get home and get some sleep.

Kate left the morgue and headed straight for home. She knew that Rick's case would be dismissed now because of the evidence they put together for the judge. All Marty had to do was his part, and Rick should be a free man by the afternoon. Upon arriving at her apartment, she stripped down and took a long-deserved shower. She knew that Lanie was right. But she had to work on what she wanted first before she could actually commit to him.


	12. Chapter 12

The last time Kate had heard from Rick was two weeks ago, right after he was released from the courtroom as a free man. She had left a voicemail and hoped to get a return voicemail, text, or call, but so far, he was radio silent.

"Beckett, if you keep looking at your phone expecting it to ring it won't - take it from someone who knows."

"That's just it, Lanie - he hasn't contacted me since the day in court when he was cleared. I've been leaving voicemails and text messages for him but he doesn't respond back."

"Kate, I'm afraid that you might have gone a little too far by arresting him for murder when he didn't do it. I think that even though you were only doing your job, he lost all faith in you when you sent Ryan into the interrogation room to get his alibi. It's hard to believe that you wouldn't have gone in to question him in the first place instead of Kevin. By doing this you just blew any kind of chance you had of even being his friend," Lanie said sadly.

Lanie took another sip from her wine glass and set the glass back down on the table. She looked across the table to her friend, who she could tell was torn up over what happened with Rick.

"Kate, I'm not saying that there isn't the outside chance that you might get together with him, but if I were you, I would seriously think about just being his friend for now. The romantic end of what you could have had is probably gone. Hell, I'm not even sure if he wants to be your friend after what I heard."

"Lanie, I just miss him. He made it fun to be at work. I don't know how to get through my day without him." It was then that Kate realized what Lanie had said.

"Wait, what you heard? What do you know, Lanie?" Kate asked, getting up off her knees and almost knocking over her glass of wine.

"I'm not sure, but what I heard could be just a rumor."

"Spill, girl."

"Okay, but this is just a rumor and I don't know if any of it's true."

"All right already, out with it!" Kate insisted.

"LT was down in the morgue checking on a John Doe we just got in, and we started talking about Castle. I was wondering when he was returning and asked LT if he knew anything. He told me that he didn't think that Castle was coming back because of what he overheard between Javi and Kevin."

"What did he hear?"

"He heard Ryan tell Javi that he was going to resign from the job. His reason was that what you and Javi did to Castle was unforgivable in his mind. He was your friend. Kate, you need to know that Ryan finds the integrity in everyone he meets. He is not that quick to judge someone without all the facts. Something that you seem to do without even thinking about who Rick was to you."

"Lanie, I was doing my job. What else was I supposed to do?"

"That's just it, Kate. You have trouble differentiating between what you want to do and what you need to do. LT also said that Ryan wanted to start working for Rick. And Rick agreed that he would be a good fit."

"A good fit at what? He's a cop."

"Correction - was a cop. He did what he said he would do, he resigned. I'm surprised that you weren't informed by Montgomery."

"That's impossible, Lanie! I would have been the first to know. He's on my team."

"Kate, he saw that the grass was greener on the other side. He was the low man on your team. He was working as hard or harder than you and Javi and getting a lower rate of pay and respect for it. Rick offered him a partnership in his P. I. firm. And from what I hear, he's been taking on high profile cases lately. Not the cheating wife or husband cases, or a skip trace trying to track down a bail jumper bullshit; Rick's firm handles kidnappings, high-end thefts, and recently the FBI and NYPD have been using his agency for closing unsolved cold cases. He has a very high closure rate."

"Great, now I've pushed Ryan away too."

"Kate, Ryan just wanted something better and he went for it," Lanie said.

Xx

"Beckett, my office," her captain called out into the bullpen.

Walking towards his office she could tell that whatever he had to say was going to be bad.

"Sir?"

"Come in, Beckett. Have a seat." Kate took a seat and waited.

"Now I've let you run with most of your cases in the past knowing that you'd be a top performer. But this time around I dropped the ball."

"How so, sir?"

"It seems that you had already decided Castle was guilty before you had all the facts. And that hurt us. We not only lost an accomplished investigator in Rick Castle, but we also lost Detective Ryan. He resigned yesterday to go to work for Richard Castle Investigations."

"So it's true then. I thought he was only looking to see what was out there," Kate said sadly.

"He had a better offer, Kate; he believed in someone and didn't waver from what he knew was the truth. From what I've heard through the grapevine, Ryan is pulling down over one hundred and fifty grand a year. And Castle let him buy into the company at an entry level. He owns forty percent of the company with Castle."

"Damn, I really screwed this up."

"That's the least of your problems Kate. Rick filed a wrongful arrest lawsuit against you and Esposito. And he went one step further by adding police brutality, denying him of legal counsel, and denying him medical treatment. You might be able to dismiss the legal counsel and the medical treatment, but the brutality charge won't go away. You're going to need your union rep and a good attorney."

Xx

She stood outside the door to Richard Castle Investigations in Times Square. She could hear both Rick and Kevin talking with Alexis about what must be details on a current case they were working on. At first, she wanted to turn around and leave, but her need for answers got the better of her. She knocked, and it became quiet in the office. Footsteps came closer and she waited for the door to open. Then it did.

"Detective Beckett, what a surprise. What can I do for you?" Rick said, gesturing her into the office with a sweep of his hand.

She walked in and she could see the remains of what must have been lunch sitting on a large round table.

"Am I interrupting anything, Castle?" Kate asked.

"Detective, in this office we use first names only. This is not the NYPD, where it seems that last names are the norm. So again, I ask, what can my agency do for you?"

Kate just stood there not knowing what to say. But finally, she found her voice.

"Rick, I was wondering if we could talk?"

"Kate, the time for talking has long since passed. I was serious when I said that I was done with the NYPD."

"Rick, I went to all the trouble to clear you! I tracked down the man who explained everything to the judge."

"And for that, I will be forever grateful. Thanks for stopping by, Kate." Rick reached for the doorknob to open the door to escort her out when he was interrupted by Kevin.

"Rick, I can go if you want to be alone," Ryan said knowing that they might need privacy.

"No, Kevin, that's fine. Detective Beckett was just about to leave."

"Rick…"

"What is it, Kate?" Rick asked.

"I'm serious, can we talk outside in the hall?" She asked with pleading eyes.

"Kevin, run the financials on the Roberts case while I talk with the detective."

"Okay, Rick." Kevin turned to head back to meet with Alexis to run the program on the Roberts case.

Rick gently closed the front door to the office and waited for Kate to speak.

"Wow, it sounds like you're really busy in there," Kate said, trying to start a conversation.

"Kate, we both know that's not why you're here," Rick said, cutting to the chase.

"Rick, why are you shutting me out?"

"Do you really think that I'd still want to work with someone who didn't have the decency to interview me themselves for an alibi for a murder charge? The second Ryan walked into the interrogation room, I knew right then and there that you lost all respect for our friendship. I can be a forgiving man, but that was just too over the top. You really thought that we'd still be on friendly terms after that?"

"I did. And I also wanted to take you out on a date once this all settled down."

"Kate, I'm sorry to say that will never happen. If you thought that there is any chance for a romantic relationship between us, you've been believing your own lies for way too long. You threw me under the bus, detective. I was charged with capital murder. I could have been executed. I could have left my daughter an orphan, and you want to go on a date? I've met your dates; it's not a group I want to join. The only time I've ever harmed another human was when I was defending you. You'd think that after all we've been through, that would have earned at least a minimal amount of loyalty. But no, you and detective Esposito were like two rabid hounds hot on the scent. Get the annoying, worthless playboy writer at all costs. I can't imagine the circumstances that would lead me to murder your boyfriend, let alone kill your boyfriend, and you should have known that about me."

"I did, Rick! I knew that you could have not done this."

"You have a very funny way of showing it, detective."

Kate knew that he was right, she'd had her doubts about his innocence at the beginning of this case. But did he have to dissolve their partnership?

"If there's nothing else, Detective Beckett, there _are_ matters that I need to attend to."

Kate watched as Rick turned, opened the door, and closed it behind him. She now knew that whatever chance she had to be with him was long gone. She herself turned and left his floor and wondered where it all went wrong…


	13. Chapter 13

Rick couldn't believe what he was seeing as the elevator doors slid closed. The acrid taste of bile seared his throat, but he forced it down. He slumped against the back wall of the elevator. Kate was standing in the middle of the bullpen, enveloped in Josh's arms. He pulled her body hard against him with one hand, while the other roamed freely, rapidly closing in on second base.

All this was happening in view of the rest of the homicide team, who were polishing off their celebratory beers in the breakroom. Most astonishing of all, Kate had allowed it, encouraged it even. Well, that message was certainly clear: 'get out of my life and let me get it on with my man.'

After an interminable elevator ride deposited him on the ground floor, he somehow ignored the heart being ripped out of his chest and the indisputable fact that his hopes and dreams had not survived the freezer and the bomb - shared experiences that ought to have cemented their relationship. Dammit, Kate Beckett was the queen of mixed signals. "And the winner is," he muttered bitterly, " - not me."

He knew there was an Irish pub just a block or so from the precinct, and for a moment he entertained the idea of directing his steps in that direction and expunging the pain with copious amounts of John Jameson. No, it's too close to the precinct and I don't want anyone to see me like that.

So, he hailed a cab, and after a short ride he arrived at the loft and let himself in. He was reminded that his support system, Alexis and Martha, were still in the Hamptons where he had sent them after learning about the dirty bomb.

He made his way to the bar and splashed a generous slug of Irish tranquilizer into a highball glass. _Needs ice,_ he thought and trudged to the kitchen. When he opened the door to the freezer compartment, a blast of cold hit him in the face and his hard-won composure shattered into a million razor sharp shards.

The horrors of the day burst from his subconscious where he thought them buried and forgotten. He staggered to his desk and flopped gracelessly into the chair. The spirit burned its way into his stomach as he tossed it back angrily.

Rick had done enough research to know about delayed reactions to stress, but he had never really experienced it firsthand. Anger bordering on fury, the depression of utter defeat, and a despairing sense of failure drove into him without mercy. This was perhaps the greatest crisis of his life, and he was utterly alone, desperately needing someone to understand, to help him process the feelings rushing in like a flood. For the merest moment, he considered calling Kate, and he even went so far as to retrieve his phone and position a finger over the speed dial button.

His brain overruled that impulse decisively; Josh had poisoned that well. He was undoubtedly comforting Kate after her ordeal, and Rick would die before he let that smug bastard know how much he missed Kate. He shuddered to think what they were doing in the name of 'processing'.

Rick didn't want his mother or his daughter to have to deal with this mess. Kate, after years of straddling the fence, leading him on and alternately flaunting other men in front of him, was lost forever. When he had asked her what Josh's return from Haiti meant, she answered, "It means we have a chance." A chance that she and Josh might work out also meant there was a chance it might not. He ruthlessly squelched that thought. I'll be damned before I take Josh Davidson's leavings.

So, who could he turn to? Ryan and Esposito? Hell no. They would only think he was weak and laugh at him. Lanie? No, that was practically a direct conduit to Kate. Montgomery maybe? No, he was on his way to D.C. for a DHS meeting. Nope, all alone. Rick suddenly flung the empty tumbler against the wall, where it shattered into a million little pieces. He buried his head in his hands and sat trembling with rage and sadness for many minutes.

I know, he thought, sitting up suddenly. I'll write it. The next Nikki Heat book is due soon. I'll use this case to finish the book; Nikki will choose another man whom she barely knows and leave Rook alone. Gina will probably hate it, but at least I can vent a little.

He flipped open his laptop and began to type. It would be a gross overstatement to say he was cheerful, but dark thoughts of the murder of a certain doctor or worse were fading away as his fingers flew over the keyboard as never before, pounding out a tale of unrequited love and betrayal.

He had worked for over twelve hours when he stopped for a break. Reading back over what he had written, he was shocked to find that he had used the subjects' real names. He started to delete it but decided it would give him better closure if he left it until he had a chance to read it straight through. Then, he would let search and replace work its magic.

He tilted the laptop cover down until it powered off. He really needed to get this latest chapter over to Gina for editing, but he needed something spectacular to end the chapter. He knew that this was the way he wanted Josh to leave Kate in the book, but in real life, he would never be so lucky. He was still wondering what she saw in Josh. He was never there for her, and she had spent many a night sitting at her apartment, waiting by the phone on the off chance that he got off shift a little early and he would call her.

Maybe he was just projecting his frustration on the page. He had written close to twenty-five thousand words - maybe he could delete the whole thing and start over. He didn't like the ending, which left Kate standing alone, wondering how things had fallen apart so drastically as she walked away from RCI.

Rick was on his way to the kitchen to make some coffee, when a shy, almost inaudible knock sounded at the door to the loft. Changing course from the kitchen, he made his way to the front door, hoping it would be somebody he could send on their way. When he opened the door, he was met with something he'd never expected to see in his lifetime.

"Kate?"

"Rick, we need to talk. And I'd like to do it sooner rather than later."

Rick took in her appearance and could tell that she and the good doctor had had too many rounds of meaningful sex. And if there was one thing that he got mad at, it was the fact that Josh carried out what he initially set out to do in the precinct. He went all the way to home base with her, many times by the looks of what Rick saw standing in front of him. He was reluctant to let her in, only because nothing good could come of whatever she wanted to talk about. He'd been there before with a limited number of other women and now they were at the point where it was time for the 'get out of my life and stay out' speech. He'd heard it all too often.

"Detective Beckett, you can enter my home under two conditions. The first is that you will lose the 'I just got laid' look because it's written all over your face and it really doesn't suit you. And secondly, your boyfriend's cologne and the smell of recent sex is making me nauseous."

"Okay, Rick. But I have a counter offer for you." She used his first name hoping to project how serious she was.

"And what would that be, Detective?"

"I will adhere to your conditions if you let me do the following. I need to take a bath; this way you won't have to smell how much sex I've had in the last six hours and his cologne will be gone as well. Agreed?"

Rick stood there, thinking about her counter offer, and then said, "Agreed. And while you're in the bath I will take your clothes, wash and dry them before you get out."

She entered the loft and could tell that there had been a couple of changes made since she'd been here last. The picture of the subway underneath the stairway was gone. Replacing it a reprint of Van Gogh or it even could be an original Van Gogh. If she remembers correctly it's "Le Moulin de Blute-Fin."

She walks past the open book shelves and into his office. She notices that his laptop has been left closed probably because he had just finished writing. When she's in the bathroom she takes notice of how large the bathtub is. She searches for some bath oils and either Alexis or Martha must use his bathtub because she finds lavender bath oil in the vanity under the sink. She puts in a generous amount and gets the water to the right temperature. Knowing that he's going to clean her clothes she stripped out of everything and places everything outside the bathroom door. Then she retreats back into the comfort of the tub. She eyes water jets that stick out from either side of the tub. Then submerges her entire body into the tub. Sitting down she sees the control panel and decides to take advantage of what the tub has to offer. She looks around and she can tell that this is all him. It's designed and accented with a manly touch. She takes advantage of warm water refreshing it once or twice while she is in it. She's clean and the smell of sex and his cologne is now long gone. She sits up and notices that the towels are on a long rack and to her surprise, they're heated to a very comfortable warm temperature. She pulls one off the rack and dries her body. When she's done, she wraps it under her arms covering her body from her breasts down to her mid-thigh. Knowing that the wash and dry cycle probably isn't done now she moves out into his office. Then she looks at his desk and knows that this is where everything happens when he writes. Knowing that she has an inside scoop on what he's working on next she steps behind his desk and pulls up the lid to his laptop. She takes a seat in his leather high back chair and moves the mouse to make the screen come alive. What she sees is nothing she expected to see. She scrolls back to the beginning of the story that's easily eight to ten chapters in length. So, she starts reading. What she sees on the page in front of her is not what she expected. It's basically their life in written form. By the time she finishes she's in tears knowing that she has treated him this badly because if what she reads here is correct, she was cruel bordering on sadistic towards him. Now she knows just how badly he feels.

A discrete cough from behind startles her and she spins the chair to face him. She started to stand but changes her mind and slips back into the chair when she remembers her state of dress, or more accurately undress.

He motions her to follow him toward the bedroom, but she protests. "Rick…"

"Don't worry, Beckett, your virtue is safe with me."

Kate bristled at the implication, but Rick preempted her by stepping into his closet, returning with an ivory-colored terry cloth bathrobe. "You can change in the bedroom. I don't want our conversation to be contaminated by carnal thoughts."

Walking into the bedroom, she closed the door and exchanged her towel for the robe, sighing at its sinful softness as it caressed her skin. _"He has carnal thoughts? About me?"_ she thought to herself.

When she returned to his office, he motioned her to the desk chair, while he wrestled an armchair into position facing her. "Go ahead," he urged. "Talk."

Kate motioned toward the laptop at her elbow. "I'm sorry I snooped. I thought I might get a preview of the next Nikki Heat book."

"It's okay, not like I haven't snooped at your place a few times. Let's cut to the chase. Why are you here, Beckett?"

She let her head tilt forward and her hair partially hid her face when she answered. "Because I didn't know where else to go."

"Huh, I don't understand - you were obviously _with_ someone last night," Rick stated knowingly.

"I was with Josh…but."

"But what? Where is Dr. Dreamboat, anyway?"

"On his way to Zimbabwe, I imagine."

"What?" Rick sputtered. "I thought he was going to stay here in New York, that you had a chance."

"So did I."

"Oh I see, the good doctor is not available, so you bring in the understudy?"

"No, Rick, please, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like, Kate?"

Her body shook with a sob and she raised her hand to wipe away a tear. The movement caused the neck of the robe to gape open and before Rick could turn away, he caught a glimpse of something that chilled his soul.

"Kate, what is this?" He pointed to a pattern of bruises along her collar bone that looked suspiciously like handprints, very large handprints. "What happened?"

"Josh," she responded in an uncharacteristically subdued voice. "He likes rough sex, and last night he was rougher than ever before. I just wanted to be held, to be comforted after what we went through on our last case. But he said I had to make up for the time he would be in Zimbabwe."

"What else?" Rick grated out.

Kate regarded him solemnly for a few seconds, then slipped the robe off her shoulders, just exposing her breasts. "Damn that rat bastard's soul to hell," Rick snarled at the sight of numerous bite marks that covered what was visible of her chest. Some had clearly drawn blood and might even leave scars. "Anywhere else?"

She nodded. "Everywhere." She started to stand with the intention of baring her entire body, but he waved her back down.

"I'll take your word for it. Anything hurt internally?"

"My ribs hurt, but other than that, no."

"Did he try to…" Rick struggled to mouth the hated word.

"Rape me?" Kate supplied but shook her head. "No, just rough sex."

"Kate, this is not 'rough sex', this is assault and battery. Probably qualifies as domestic violence. I think I should take you to the hospital, and you should report this."

"I'll do it, but not right now. I just can't deal with that again."

"Why did you let him do that to you?" Kate could hear the overwhelming pain in Rick's voice and she knew that she probably didn't have an answer that would satisfy him - hell, probably not one that would satisfy herself either.

"I didn't know you were into the kinky stuff," he continued, trying another tack when she didn't answer him.

"I'm not, not that kind anyway. It started out slow and got worse as it went on. I guess I thought it was what I was supposed to do, him being my boyfriend and all. By the time it got too intense, I couldn't back out. Why are you asking these questions?"

Rick decided to buy himself some time to formulate an answer. Just how many cards should he lay on the table?

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Uh…yes, I guess so."

Rick returned in a few minutes with two steaming mugs of fragrant brew. He handed Kate one mug, fixed just the way she liked it and informed her that her clothing would be dry in about a half hour.

"Kate, I'm just going to lay my cards on the table. I'm sick of all the dancing around and walking on eggshells. All that's bought me is heartache and misery. So, I'm going to ask you one question."

Kate swallowed nervously. "Okay."

"Why not me? What did all the other men in your life have that I don't? What did Dr. Dracula have that allowed him to accomplish in four weeks what I couldn't accomplish in four years?"

"Do I detect jealousy?"

"Hell, yes you do. I'm the one who was always there for you, who always had your back, who put you first, second only to my daughter. What was so abhorrent about me that made me unworthy? What calculation did you come to that accepted Josh and kicked me to the curb?"

Kate found herself struggling to find an answer to his question with anything more than the same old tired clichés.

"You're safe, Rick. And you're right - you've had my back no matter what shit I put you through. You're always there for me when I need you, and if you're up for it, I would like to start something new, now that Josh is out of the picture and my walls have just about crumbled to a pile of dust."

"Kate, that's all well and fine, but you're forgetting one simple little thing. Josh assaulted you last night. And you can say that it was under the guise of rough sex, but it was still assault! No matter what, he needs to be brought back to this country, tried, and sent to prison."

"Rick, there's enough time for us to deal with that later. But now we need to talk about something else. I read what you wrote on your laptop, and I want to know if there is any chance for us having our happy ending? What I mean is, there is no way I would blatantly treat you like that without knowing I was doing it. Was I really that bad to you by flaunting 'Doctor Motorcycle Boy' around you?"

"It was excruciating, to say the least. He just had the worst timing to show up at the most inopportune moments. When there might have been something between us, like a tender moment, he'd just show up. You have no idea how close I was to tell you I wanted to take you back to the loft and make love to you all night long - right before he appeared at the precinct yesterday. We've been through hell together, Kate, you and I have known each other for close to four years, and you've got to know by now that I'm crazy in love with you."

God, she really loved this man. She could see that what he was saying was the truth just by how honestly it came out of his mouth. But she needed to make up for treating him like he was her personal punching bag. She knew that he was good with words and she, well, was more of an 'action speaks louder' type person.

"Can we talk about the book some more?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"You killed Josh," she stammered.

"Yeah, I did. That was probably the rawest, most honest thing I wrote in the whole book. I was completely drained when I finished that scene."

"Why? Rick, why did you have to kill him, especially so brutally Were you really that insanely jealous that he had what you wanted? Should I be worried?"

"No, of course not, Kate. I would never lay a hand on you in anger, or without your leave. You should know that about me by now. I only kill people on paper."

"I know, Rick, you're such a kind, forgiving person; I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you could hate anyone as much as you hated Josh in what you wrote for the book."

"I saw the way he looked at you. To him, you were just a warm body, a piece of meat to be used for his own pleasure." Rick almost choked on the words. "Whenever I was around, he made a deliberate effort to always have his hands on you. Yesterday when I was leaving the precinct, he had his hands on your breasts, right in front of your co-workers. It made me sick to my stomach to see you disrespected like that."

Kate hastily wiped away a tear. "Rick, I can't believe I was so oblivious. I'm so ashamed."

"It was much worse than that. You never missed even the smallest opportunity to point out how I didn't compare to his awesomeness."

Kate opened her mouth to protest, but Rick forged ahead.

"Do you remember 'He saved a man's life this morning, Castle. What did you do?' Even I could understand such a blatant head slap. Josh – Awesome, incredible, brilliant, weakener of women's knees. Rick – third-rate writer, womanizer, annoyer of hard-working detectives, unworthy of any decent woman's attention."

"Please, don't say things like that. You make it sound so horrible." One tear became a torrent.

"Beckett, it was horrible. Every time I felt like I was making some progress between the two of us, you'd sashay in with a new stud muffin, parade him around and turn me into a fifth wheel."

"I can see how you would hate Josh, but why don't you hate me?"

"I tried, believe me, I tried."

"And?" Beckett inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I failed miserably."

Beckett's heart rate leapt to full gallop, maybe we can salvage something from this mess. A glance at Rick's expression crushed her hope. "You're still angry," Kate said, more statement than a question. "Don't hold back, Rick. If we can't be honest and open with each other - yes, I recognize the fundamental hypocrisy in that statement - then we have no chance at all to salvage anything from this train wreck."

Rick nodded abruptly, but his eyes were still stormy. He had hoped that writing would have bought him some degree of…. not comfort, not acceptance, maybe resignation was the best descriptor to use. "What do you want to salvage, Beckett?"

"The possibility of a relationship together, maybe," she responded tentatively.

"Well, let's see." Rick's voice was hard-edged as if he was losing an internal struggle like always. _Don't press her too hard, leave her an out, don't force her to ask and answer tough questions._ The hell with that. He had done that for four years, and what had that bought him besides pain and heartbreak?

"Beckett, we've been through hell in the last couple of days. We did it together. We had each other's backs. But the minute we're out of danger, instead of us supporting each other, you run off to screw Josh's brains out and I go home to face the darkness alone. Tell me, is that the sort of relationship even worth salvaging?"

"I was hurting too."

"So why didn't you tell Josh to fuck off when he strutted into the precinct all arrogance and smug condescension, announcing to the world that he had saved our lives? All he did was throw a blanket on each of us. Your average Cub Scout would've known to do that."

"Rick, Josh told me he performed some special procedure on me that saved my life. He said you didn't need anything because you were bigger than me. Your body mass kept you just a little warmer until we could be found, not much but just enough."

"He lied. I asked the paramedics what he did. There was no 'special procedure'; he made that up. My core temperature was considerably lower than yours. That's why you woke up before I did."

"That doesn't make sense. I'm much smaller than you; I should have been in worse shape."

"You were, until…."

"Until what Rick?"

"I don't…"

"Spill it Castle, now, we agreed."

"I gave you my coat. Just before you passed out."

"What?" Kate asked, unbelieving. "Rick, I don't remember having a coat on when I woke up."

"That's because Dr. Dreamsicle tossed it in a dumpster when he realized it was mine. Espo found it while they were searching the crime scene later."

"That son of a bitch! He took your coat off me in the ambulance before I came to?"

"He didn't want any evidence that I actually did something considerate and lifesaving."

"Wait until I get my hands on him! I'm going to strangle him."

"You see, Kate, there you go again. You're out to take on another mission."

"I don't know what to say."

"Just answer my question. Why didn't you tell Josh to fuck off at the precinct?" Rick asked, returning to his original question.

"Castle, I couldn't just tell him to leave. At the time he was my boyfriend. He gave up Zimbabwe for me. I owed him something for all he's done for me." _Oh shit,_ Kate groaned as she realized the import of the words that had just spilled out of her mouth. "Castle, I didn't mean…."

"Yes, yes, you did. You meant that in the Kate Beckett pantheon, Rick Castle ranks somewhere below a conniving, controlling manipulative abuser. Do you know the reason I wrote your character so inconsistent and uncommitted?"

Kate shook her head.

"Because that's what I've experienced for the last four years. One day, you're all touchy-feely and flirty, then the next day you're making out with a guy in the stairwell that you've only known for a little over a week. I'm not even close to discussing a relationship, because, call me weak if you choose, but I can't take any more of this pathetic existence."

Kate chose to remain silent, but her gaze never left his face.

"And, Detective, that is partly why I hate Josh."

"Partly? You mean there's more?" Kate responded with an eyebrow quirk.

"Yes, but it will hurt you and…"

"I know you don't want to hurt me, Rick, but I'm sure it will hurt less if you tell me now than if I find out later from someone else."

Rick took a deep breath, marshaling his strength for what he was sure would be the end of the Beckett era of his life. "He didn't love you, Kate. He was using you."

He paused at her sharp intake of breath and a strangled, "No - it can't be…."

"Josh has worked at hospitals in five different states. Each time he left under suspicious circumstances. No charges were ever filed, but he developed a reputation. The next step in his MO after 'rough sex' is kicking and punching. He is a master manipulator who would have, in short order, convinced you that it was all your fault and that you deserved the abuse he was meting out."

"How do you know this?" Kate whispered.

"I checked him out, a couple of weeks after he came to the precinct the first time."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did, but by the time I found out, you were so into him that you bit my head off and told me to mind my own business. Lanie tried, but you wouldn't listen to her either."

"So you wrote Josh as a scheming vindictive would-be rapist and me as a flighty, untrusting, ungrateful bitch."

"Your words, not mine. But basically accurate."

"Rick, he lied to me! He made you out to be a fraud! Why aren't you pissed off?"

"Because Kate, I can let it go. He's nothing but a gnat. Soon, if we don't think about him, he'll become less and less of a memory. And ten years from now we'll ask, doctor who?"

"So you're suggesting that I just drop it?"

"Can you?"

Kate stood up and walked the short distance to where Rick was sitting. She came a little too daringly close to him, placed her hands on each side of his face and said,

"Rick, promise me that if I just happen to fall off the deep end and go after something that seems like a mission to you, you'll pull me back up?"

Not wanting to get his hopes up again, Rick thought about only one thing that she could say no to. He decided to put it out there just to see how serious she was about them being in a relationship.

"What about your mother's case? Is that a mission that you still need to find closure for?"

She knew that this conversation would end up this way. She really wanted to get vindication for her mother's murder. But she thought that if it will cost her Rick, she might learn to live with what could have been. That wasn't to say that if an event were presented to her, she wouldn't go in and take a look at what it had to offer – but she'd still ask him to come along with her. Now all she had to do was convince him that she was interested in just him, which she was. Her mother's case would take a second seat to him if that would be the deciding factor.

"Rick, what if I get a lead and it has the potential to move her case along? What then?"

"Kate, what I'm offering you is an option of sorts. You'll get one shot to investigate whatever this one lead could possibly be. If it turns out that nothing becomes of this lead, then that's it. But if by any chance there is some way that it could be a way to solve your mother's case, we will take that bit by bit. But we will not be dragged into this again and we do it together. So, think of this one chance as a get-out-of-jail-free card."

"So what happens if it produces nothing?" Kate wanted to know.

"Then that's it. There is no more investigating this case, Kate. This case has taken up your entire adult life; it's the reason that you became a cop. Now here's an original thought. Why don't we try - now just listen to me and go with it for a change - but let's go out on a proper date? I'll take you out to a great meal and maybe afterward we could go dancing."

Kate knew that giving up this case would set her free. But what she needed was some sort of assurance that Rick would not let her fall back into her old ways again if she did decide to give up her mom's case. So, she just put it out there.

"I'll accept your terms for my mother's case. You're right, it has been ruling my life since I became a cop. I changed my career path just so I could do what I thought was the right thing to do. Now I know that I'm never going to forget about her case, but I think I can shelve it for now until something new does come along," Kate said hopefully.

"I'm not trying to take away what defines you, Kate. But this case has been a major part of your life and you have given up way too much - to get where? Everybody associated with this case is no longer alive, and I have a feeling that the same might just happen to you. And I don't want that to happen. Because Kate, you see, I'm in love with you."

Kate pulled him off the chair and moved him closer to her. Then she looked at him from under her eyelashes, stretched up on her toes and brushed her lips against his. His hands automatically went around her waist and he pulled her closer if that was at all possible. The kiss was deep and meaningful and yes, even life-affirming. Before long they had to break if they wanted to keep breathing.

"Wow!" he said.

"Oh, so you liked that, huh?" she asked.

"I did," he replied.

"Well, you better get used to it because there's a lot more where that came from," she teased.

Xx

"Kate, I think this is a good stopping point for this conversation. You need to call the Chief of Detectives and report what Josh did to you. Then, I'll take you to the hospital."

"Rick, I don't…"

"Kate, you promised. How many times have you ranted about women who enable their abusers by not pressing charges against a significant other? How many crime scenes have we walked where a woman had a long history of abuse and then finally snapped and became a murderer?"

She let her head tilt forward with a sigh. "A lot."

"Indeed, a lot. A lot that could possibly have been prevented if someone had just broken the circle. Now go call the Chief of Detectives. You can use my bedroom for privacy if you wish."

With a silent nod, Kate strode across the living room, through the study, and into Rick's bedroom.

Even Rick could tell that her signature confident stride was not as authentic as she probably hoped. He knew her tells; the drop of her shoulders and the weary shuffle in her steps belied her broken record response of "fine" to all his inquiries.

As Kate disappeared into his bedroom, Rick was already fumbling for his phone to call the one person whose presence would increase the probability of a successful conclusion.

"OCME. Dr. Parish speaking."

"Lanie, this is…"

"Castle? Why are you calling me? What's going on?"

Rick braced himself for a full-bore Lanie freak out. "It's Kate."

"What? What happened? Is she all right? Where is she? Let me speak to her."

"She's in the other room right now, talking on the phone to the Chief of Detectives."

"Cavillo?" Lanie shrieked. "Why is she talking to him?"

"She's reporting a crime." Rick held the phone away from his ear, probably saving his hearing.

"Reporting a crime? What kind of crime, who's the victim? Omigod, it's Kate isn't it?" She paused momentarily, just to suck in a few breaths. "Castle, if you don't quit beating around the bush and tell me what's going on, I will hurt you."

"Kate was the victim of a sexual assault last night."

"But after you left the precinct last night, she went home with Dr. Motorcycle Boy." Lanie shivered as the implication sank in. "It was him, wasn't it? Josh hurt my girl." She said in an almost whisper

"Yeah, she showed up at my place this morning. She was beaten up badly. I talked her into filing charges, so she's in the bedroom talking to Cavillo. As soon as she finishes, I'm going to take her to the hospital."

"Take her to Presbyterian," Lanie interjected.

"Okay, but why Presbyterian?"

"They have a Forensic Nurse Examiner; they're specially trained to collect evidence in a case like this as gently and noninvasively as possible."

Rick nodded vigorously. "I think Kate would appreciate that."

"You're a good man, Richard Castle. Despite what they say about you."

"Hey…" Rick sputtered indignantly.

"Hush now and get our girl to the hospital. I'll be right behind you, but first, I'm going to call Cavillo and see if he'll assign a female detective as lead investigator."

"Good idea, she's really stressed as it is. Gotta go, she just hung up the phone." Rick said as he caught sight of Kate coming out of his bedroom.

Kate suddenly hauled up as she caught sight of Rick's face. "All right, Castle, you're up to something." She gave him a glare, but he shrugged it off.

"I have your clothes here," he declared with studied innocence.

Kate snatched the carefully folded stack of fabric and ran to Rick's bedroom. A few minutes later, she reappeared, fully dressed. "All right, Castle, let's get this over with."

With his hand splayed across the small of her back, he guided her gently out the door. A town car from Rick's car service was idling at the curb and the driver hopped out and hustled around to open the door for Kate. Rick opened the driver's side door for himself and slid in next to Kate.

"Good morning Mr. Castle, Detective."

"Good morning, Armando. New York–Presbyterian Hospital, please. Outpatient entrance."

A twenty-minute drive brought them to the hospital. Kate had imagined a long wait in a crowded room with the most uncomfortable chairs. She imagined a painful, invasive exam that stripped her of dignity and self-worth. She had heard the stories about how the exam was worse than the assault itself. How had she let Castle talk her into this anyway?

The reality was quite different. They were met at the reception desk by an early middle-aged woman wearing lilac scrubs. Castle and Beckett both picked up a distinct grandmotherly vibe. Kate's stress level abated just a little as the woman extended her hand for a shake and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm the supervisor of the Forensic Nurse Examiner Unit. Please follow me."

Amanda turned to an unmarked door and swiped her ID card. The door swung open and Amanda led them down a hallway lined with doors identified only by numbers. She opened one of the doors and ushered Kate and Rick into a small conference room with a soft, almost homey décor.

Rick sensed that Kate's anxiety receded a bit in the more private setting. Amanda flipped open a folder and extracted a short stack of documents. "There's always paperwork," she quipped as she slid the papers across the conference table to Kate. "Mr. Castle has already given us the basic information: name, address, phone and such. Miss Becket…"

"Can you call me Kate?"

"Okay, Kate. To get started, I just need you to sign an Informed Consent and Acknowledgement of Applicable privacy laws and policies."

Kate quickly examined the documents and signed where required. Amanda gathered the documents back into the folder and stood. When Rick and Kate made to follow suit, Amanda spoke. "I'm sorry, Mr. Castle, but you'll have to stay here."

Rick drew breath to protest, but Kate waved him off. "I'll be fine, Castle."

"I'll take good care of her, Mr. Castle. She's in good hands. This should take less than an hour."

Five minutes after Kate left with Amanda, Castle was already pacing around the room, writing worst-case scenarios in his head. His racing thoughts were interrupted by a peremptory knock at the door. He knew that knock needed that knock. He lunged for the door and flung it open, startling the source of the knocking.

"Lanie! I'm so glad to see you." He gave her a crushing hug for emphasis.

"I'm glad to see you too, Castle. Now, where's my girl?"

"Still in the examination. Amanda said it would take less than an hour." He glanced at his watch. "She's only been gone for ten minutes."

Xx

"Lanie," Kate exclaimed when she found the ME waiting in the conference room along with Rick an hour later.

"What are you doing here?"

"Castle called me. Thought you could use some support."

"You have no idea." Kate sighed. "This has been a nightmare."

"Nice to see you again, Amanda." Lanie addressed the nurse who had followed Kate into the room.

"Likewise, Dr. Parrish."

"You two know each other?" Rick inquired.

Lanie grinned, "Only professionally. Amanda taught an in-service on minimally invasive evidence collection that I attended. So, Amanda, how's my girl?"

"Kate, there are some significant findings in your exam. Are you okay with Dr. Parrish and Mr. Castle being in the room?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Okay then, there are traces of two drugs in your system. One is GHB, which is legal in the U.S. with a prescription. It is, however, very tightly controlled because the effects can be quite dangerous, especially when mixed with alcohol."

"You mentioned two drugs?" Castle inquired.

"The second drug is a club drug known as Ecstasy. When the two are combined and mixed with alcohol, the mixture is commonly known as 'easy lay.'"

Kate's face drained of color and she drew a couple of deep shuddering breaths. "Josh used a date rape drug on me? Why don't I remember?"

"Loss of memory is a common side effect," Amanda stated. "Abusers sometimes use 'easy lay' to erase the victim's memory, which enables the abuser to continue their activities over a long period."

Kate was clearly fighting back tears. Lanie and Rick slid their chairs next to Kate and each grasped a hand as she fought to regain her composure. "I'm sorry, Rick, I'm so sorry. I'm a cop, I should have known." That realization triggered a fresh spate of tears.

"Kate, it wasn't your fault. You were targeted and taken down by a master."

"Please don't walk away again Rick, please don't leave me, I trust you, I know you'd never hurt me."

"We'll be okay Kate, I don't blame you. We'll work it out, I promise."

Amanda got their attention with a discreet little cough. "There's one other finding we need to discuss without delay."

The three friends tightened their grip on each other's hands and braced themselves for bad news.

"Kate, you tested positive for an STD."

"So Josh not only drugged me and possibly raped me - he gave me an STD?"

"Afraid so."

"Bastard," Rick growled. "Which one is it"

"It's called Lymphogranuloma Venereans, or LGV."

"Never heard of it," Rick responded.

"It's almost unheard of in the U.S., but it's endemic to the Caribbean basin, particularly Haiti."

"Is it treatable?"

"Yes, it responds well to broad-spectrum antibiotics as long as treatment is started early. I'm going to give Kate an injection of Erythromycin along with a prescription for a ten-day course of the same to take orally. That should also take care of the deep bite marks on her chest which can cause a nasty infection."

"Kate, I'm taking you back to the loft," Rick stated firmly as he helped Kate into the town car. "I can't stand the thought of you being alone right now."

"Okay."

Xx

Joshua Davidson thought he had just barely escaped by the hair of his balls. One of his young female groupies at the hospital had called and told him that there were two NYPD officers at the hospital looking for him. He knew that screwing with a New York City police detective could have been fun to start out with, but the way it ended, he was lucky he got out of his apartment without being arrested. His cab to the airport was just pulling away from his apartment when two NYPD cruisers slammed to a halt in front of his building. He was almost home free. He had his trip booked through Doctors Without Borders to Zimbabwe and was sitting at Terminal B gate 12 at JFK waiting for his flight to be called.

He had the luxury of flying in first class. It was a perk for donating his time and skills to Doctors Without Borders. And since he was flying first class, he was on his feet the second the support staff at the gate called for first class to board. He didn't want to be seen anywhere in the terminal by anyone. With the announcement being made, he headed towards the jet way, flashing his boarding pass to the ticket agent as he passed her. There were only two other people in front of him and he passed each to reach his seat first. Stepping in, he quickly found his seat and settled in for the long flight ahead of him. From where he sat, only two rows back, he could see the entrance door. The rest of the passengers boarded the flight and more than once his elbow got slammed by suitcases being rolled down the aisle. He should never have taken the aisle seat, but they were just about ready to close the door and retract the jet way, so he leaned back in his seat, knowing that he got away scot-free.

After ten minutes he noticed that the plane still hadn't pushed away from the gate and he couldn't understand why. It's not until he saw the flight attendant unlocking the door and opening it again that he knew something was wrong. What he saw next almost made him shit his pants. He saw a plainclothes detective, from where he had no idea, but he had cop written all over him. Behind him were two NYPD patrol officers at the ready with automatic weapons present, and behind them, there were two Port Authority cops, also with weapons at the ready. They walked onto the plane and followed the flight attendant, who stopped at his seat.

"Dr. Joshua Davidson?" the plainclothes detective asked him.

"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you, sir?"

"You're wanted for questioning regarding crimes involving a New York City police detective and numerous other women. We need you to come with us, please."

Now he wished he'd taken another form of transportation to get to where we had to go. He was in an inescapable situation. So, knowing that there was nowhere to go, he rose from his seat, opened the overhead bin, and grabbed his gear. Then he was escorted out the door by the two uniformed city cops.

Xx

 **The next morning at the loft…**

Rick balanced the tray with one hand and opened the door with the other. During the night Kate had asked him to stay with her, and he obliged. Three times that night she woke drenched in sweat. Being a gentleman that he always was, he gave her fresh clothes to change into every time. Deciding that sleep was going to be hard to find, he stayed up and watched her. When dawn was just about to make its appearance he very skillfully and quietly left the bed with her in it. Stopping at the door to check on her one last time, he saw that she hadn't awakened, so he slipped out of the bedroom and used the upstairs bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready to make her something to eat. And this was where he was right now, balancing her breakfast in one hand and trying to open the door with the other. Once he did, he took a newspaper and placed it next to the silverware on her tray. He had made her a basic meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, white toast, orange juice, and of course coffee. Moving quietly towards her he could tell when she sensed he was near. She rolled over, not quite awake yet with one eye open and stared at him.

"Where were you, Rick?"

"I know we didn't have anything to eat last night, so I figured you must be starving by now."

Rick motioned for her to sit up and she did. He placed the tray down across her lap and fluffed the pillows behind her back so she was comfortable. He lifted the lid off the plate, and she was amazed at what she saw.

"Rick, I don't know what to say. It all looks delicious."

"Just start eating. That will be thanks enough."

Rick took the paper and opened it to the third page. When he got to the third page, he looked at the picture, grainy as it was, and smiled. He carefully folded back the paper to just show Kate what he wanted her to see. There was the article that accompanied the picture, and it gave him everything he needed to know. He waited for her to finish a little more of breakfast before he showed her what he found.

"Kate, there's something I need to show you. And I think you're going to be very happy when you see it," Rick said.

Kate finished her last mouthful of eggs, placed the fork on the tray, and picked up her coffee cup. She drained what was left. She wiped her mouth and stuck her hand out for the paper he was holding.

Rick watched as her eyes scanned across the article, taking it all in. He knew that she didn't look at the picture first; she just started reading. The article was short, and she was finished with it in less than thirty seconds. He saw, the second she laid her eyes on the picture, that she knew he was in custody.

"When, Rick?" Kate asked looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"Yesterday afternoon. He was trying to catch a flight to Zimbabwe, but Port Authority cops and 113th precinct cops intercepted him."

"Rick, I need to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again. He needs to go away for a very long time."

"I'm sure that with your testimony, and the people who will come forward to describe what he did to them, he will go away for a very long time."

Xx

 **Time jump eighteen months forward…**

He'd seen it before and he knew that she would never give up. He watched her as she listened to the judge read the final order.

"Joshua Davidson, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers. You are hereby sentenced to 45 years without the possibility of parole. Bailiff, please take the prisoner away."

He noticed when she smiled at him that she had all the justice that she needed. Yeah, it had been a long eighteen months, but in the end, after Josh's lawyer had exhausted all his continuances and delaying tactics, Josh was found guilty of five counts of rape, assault, and possession of a controlled substance.

She watched as the bailiff placed his hands behind his back and cuffed him. He was led away from the courtroom and would soon be headed to a prison upstate. Rick turned around, heading for the doors to leave but he heard her yell out,

"Rick, where are you going? "

"Kate, the case is over. Josh was put away, just like you knew he would be. What's there left to do?"

"You know what's left! You promised me that after the trial was over, we would sit down and talk about us. I know we've been getting closer since this all started eighteen months ago, but now that it's over, I think it's time we take our relationship to the next level."

"Kate, are you sure? I know everything with you physically is taken care of - my only worry for you is about the emotional scars that that jackass put you through."

"Rick, I wouldn't have asked about us if I wasn't ready."

"Okay Kate, let's go." They walked out the door of the court room hand in hand ready to start something new. 

**Epilogue to follow.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Epilogue**

 **Ten Years Later….**

The atmosphere in the Plaza Hotel's Regency Suite was quiet and contemplative, a sharp contrast to the raucous standing room only crowd in

the grand ballroom, eight floors below. The candidate's inner circle gathered around eight very large TV screens, each displaying a different network's take on what The New York Times was already calling the election of the century.

Alexis Castle-Hayworth, who just happened be the campaign manager, sat off to the side, her keen eye and quick mind evaluating and analyzing the raw data flowing into her laptop. Win or lose tonight, she was widely admired for running an issue-focused campaign remarkably free of mud-slinging, at least on the part of her candidate. The opposition candidate had gone low almost immediately, releasing a series of vicious personal attack ads. But he quickly learned that when the other side refused to play, he ended up looking more like a bully than a leader.

"Aha," Alexis smiled in satisfaction. The polls had closed an hour earlier, and the mid-town precincts were starting to report. She had expected to do well there, and her intuition was rewarded when her candidate's numbers jumped from forty-eight to forty-nine percent. "Mom, Dad," she called out, and the couple seated in the center of the room swiveled toward her. "What is it, pumpkin?" Richard Castle responded.

"It's starting to trend upward; we just hit 50 percent," she said with elation.

Richard and Kate Beckett-Castle shared a relieved smile. It had been a long hard slog, but as always, they faced it together. They had worked hard to find time for each other and their three children.

"Fifty-one percent." Alexis called out and, on the screens, CNN and Fox put up their 'Declared Winner' graphic. The junior senator from the State of New York leapt to her feet and embraced her husband. "Congratulations, Mr. Mayor."

He thought about the campaign he ran, never once wanting to smear his opponent. In the end, he listened to the two people he trusted the most, his daughter Alexis and his wife Kate. And he had to laugh because if it hadn't been for him writing that ending to Naked Heat, all those years ago he and Kate would have never talked about what they really wanted from each other.

 **A/N: I am saddened by the amount of some of the guest reviews that tore apart this story up one side and down the other. This story was written with the talents of two other fanfic writers. I could really care less about how those "guest" reviewers tore apart what I wrote, but when you did that you also ripped apart two other writers who took time out of his and her very busy lives to give you something to read. I myself have never written a book and I don't think I ever will. Only because I work a full-time job and don't have the time, help take care of my 7 grandchildren and try to write for people like you (guests) who I really thought they appreciated the time and effort to write this and the time it took to set up the logistics between three people to give this genre and other registered members some way to keep this Castle category alive. People busted their asses to give something for you to read and this is how you act?**

 **You know what? All those guests should be ashamed of the reviews they left because it's shit like that that makes me (I can't speak for the other writers) wonder why I am writing these stories in the first place! I can not understand how other people who write for Castle can just shrug off reviews of this nature, I have a tough skin but when reviewers tell me that I should not even be writing a grocery list, well I wonder why I'm doing this in the first place. (Don't worry those shitty guest reviews were deleted) So, for now, each and every guest can read go someone else's stories now, I'm taking a long deserved break after writing Castle for the last eight years! I'm out!**


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